Effect of vegetarian versus non-vegetarian diet on resting cardiovascular parameters and their response to mental stress

Background: From time, immemorial dietary modifications have been used to improve the overall health, combat diseases, and/or prevent their occurrence. Inclusion of meat especially in large amounts has been hypothesized to lead to various ill effects, while adopting variants of vegetarian diet is said to afford healthy benefits. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to delineate the role of dietary patterns on the resting cardiovascular parameters and their reactivity to laboratory mental stress. Materials and Methods: Thirty-five subjects meeting the inclusion criteria were recruited and divided based on their dietary preferences into vegetarians (V) and non-vegetarians (NV). They underwent heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) measurements under basal as well as during the mental stress protocol (serial subtraction task). These parameters were compared between the two groups using unpaired t-test, with significance being considered when P < 0.05. Results: The resting values of HR (bpm) (V-85.69 ± 8.96, NV-83.84 ± 10.61), systolic BP (SBP) (mm of Hg) (V-101.06 ± 9.32, NV-101.42 ± 7.81), and diastolic BPs (DBPs) (mm of Hg) (V-70.13 ± 7.74, NV-71.21 ± 6.20) were similar in both the groups, and their response to mental stress was also alike. Conclusion: The resting values of HR and BPs (SBP and DBP) were similar in both the groups, and the amplitude of rise in these parameters on application of mental stress test protocol was not affected by the type of diet being consumed.