Dr Federica Amati, head nutritionist at Zoe, has issued a stark warning about the silent onset of cardiovascular disease. She explained that while people in their 20s and 30s may not notice any symptoms, “changes associated with cardiovascular disease” could appear in their blood vessels.
Emphasising the importance of a healthy diet, she said: “Ensuring you eat a diet full of polyphenols, fibre, and high-quality plant-based protein, whilst limiting ultra-processed food intake, is essential for overall health.”
She also pointed out cardiovascular disease is recognised as the leading cause of death globally, with the World Health Organisation stating: ‘The most important behavioural risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol.”
Speaking to the Mirror, she explained that cardiovascular disease can begin impacting your body from a young age. Dr Amati said: “Although you won’t feel anything, in your 20s and 30s, changes associated with cardiovascular disease appear in your blood vessels.
“Around 30, some people will start to have elevated cholesterol levels and they’ll start to see signs that their diet is not serving their body well, that it’s not doing a good job of maintaining everything as it should be. At this point, we really need to think about what we need to do to maintain health for the long term.”
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The expert also shared concerns poor diet could be linked to a reported rise in cases of colon cancer. Dr Amati expressed said: “One growing concern in younger people is colon cancer. From 1990–2018 there was a 22% rise in colon cancer cases in people aged 25–49. We don’t know the precise causes yet but diet likely plays a large role, particularly a lack of fibre and increased consumption of ultra-processed food.”
“Making sure you eat a variety of plants, including nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables, and legumes will help you reach the 30-gram recommended daily amount of fibre and significantly improve your bowel health,” the nutrition expert advised.
She also recommends people ‘eat the rainbow’. Dr Amati previously told the Express: “Colourful fruits and veg contain plant compounds called polyphenols. These help protect your blood vessels against damage as you age. Importantly, they also help feed your gut bacteria – and if your gut microbiome is happy, you’re more likely to enjoy good long-term health.”
She added: “Most of us know that we need protein and that meat is a good source,” she noted. “This is certainly true, but plant-based proteins are just as good as animal proteins, and when you consume them as part of the whole plant, you also get other nutrients that benefit health, like fibre.”