# A nutrition-based approach to reduce heart disease risk among overweight African Americans: Use of soul food plant-based or omnivorous diets to address cardiovascular disease

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA · 2021 · $706,092

## Abstract

African Americans (AAs) are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease (CVD), having the
highest death rates from CVD as compared with other racial/ethnic groups.
In addition, AAs have the highest
rates of obesity as compared to whites and Hispanics. People following plant-based dietary approaches,
particularly vegan or vegetarian diets, have lower risks of CVD and lower body weights than omnivores. Vegan
and vegetarian diets have been used effectively for weight loss and maintenance and for reversing CVD.
Although intervention trials have shown a significant weight-loss and cholesterol-lowering effect of adoption of
plant-based diets, t
o date, most of these large randomized trials have had limited participation from AA
participants. AAs tend to lose less weight during behavioral interventions than their white counterparts. In
addition, most research has shown that AAs are more likely to discontinue participation in behavioral dietary
interventions. This combination of higher attrition and lower weight loss may be due to a failure to address
issues that are culturally relevant to the AA population. Our recent 6-month trial examined the use of a vegan
diet as compared to 4 other plant-based dietary approaches (vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, or
omnivorous). Weight loss among AAs in the vegan diet was significantly greater (-8.5±3.3%, n=3) than AAs
randomized to diet approaches that will be similar to the omnivorous approach in our proposed study (semi-
vegetarian/omnivorous groups, 1.4±1.8%, n=3). Of the 12 AA participants who began the study, only one did
not complete the study (8% attrition rate) compared to 12 out of the 49 white participants (24% attrition). In
total, these results point to the potential of an entirely plant-based dietary intervention to overcome two barriers
encountered in previous studies aiming to improve dietary intake and weight loss among overweight AAs for
CVD prevention: low weight loss results and high attrition rates.
 The goal of this proposed study is to apply these findings in a CVD prevention intervention specifically for
AAs living in the southeast U.S. We have developed a partnership with the owners of two soul food restaurants
in Columbia, SC (one vegan, the other traditional).These restaurants, which focus on southern cuisine, are
owned and operated by local AA families, and will assist with developing culturally-appropriate recipes for our
intervention. W
e will conduct a two-year dietary trial among overweight AA adults (N=130) randomized to
follow one of two diets both emphasizing southern food culture and low-glycemic index and low-fat foods:
Vegan or Omnivorous (omni) diet. This study will compare the impact of these diet patterns on changes in CVD
risk factors, including LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, and body weight. If this intervention proves to be
successful at reducing weight and CVD risk factors among AAs, it has the potential to be disseminated through
a variety of...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10147747
- **Project number:** 5R01HL135220-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Gabrielle Michelle Turner-McGrievy
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $706,092
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-15 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10147747

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10147747, A nutrition-based approach to reduce heart disease risk among overweight African Americans: Use of soul food plant-based or omnivorous diets to address cardiovascular disease (5R01HL135220-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10147747. Licensed CC0.

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