A lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet and well-known Mediterranean diet are equally effective in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, including body weight, body mass and fat mass, according to a new study published in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.

The Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce certain risk factors for CVD in previous studies. The authors sought to assess whether switching to a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet would prove as heart healthy in people who ate meat and fish.

“To date, this randomized controlled trial is the first study assessing the effects of a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet compared with a Mediterranean diet in the same cohort of omnivorous subjects living in a low-risk country for cardiovascular disease,” wrote Francesco Sofi, MD, PhD, lead author and professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Florence and Careggi University Hospital in Italy.

The final study cohort included 107 healthy but overweight individuals, aged 18 to 75 years old. The participants were asked to follow either a low-calorie vegetarian diet, with dairy and eggs or a low-calorie Mediterranean diet for three months. After that initial period, the participants were asked to switch diets.

Both diets reduced body fat and overall weight at a similar rate. Participants lost three and four pounds of body fat and weight overall, respectively. Additionally, participants on both diets had around the same change in body mass index (BMI).

The vegetarian diet was more effective in reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The Mediterranean diet led to a greater reduction in triglyceride levels.

In an accompanying editorial, Cheryl Anderson, PhD, MPH, of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine wrote the study and evidence preceding it, “provides persuasive evidence that multiple healthful dietary patterns can reduce weight and optimize cardiovascular health.

“The take-home message of our study is that a low-calorie lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet can help patients reduce cardiovascular risk about the same as a low-calorie Mediterranean diet,” Sofi said in the same release. “People have more than one choice for a heart-healthy diet.”