The Tsimane people, an Amazonian group, have the healthiest arteries of any population ever studied according to a new study.
A recent study found out that people from a Bolivian indigenous group living in the Amazon rainforest are five times less likely to develop coronary atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) compared to people in the US.
Clogged-up arteries are often linked to unhealthy, sedentary lifestyles and increase the risk of heart disease. According to The Independent, the Tsimane people lead a highly active lifestyle based on hunting, foraging and fishing.
“Our study shows that the Tsimane indigenous South Americans have the lowest prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis of any population yet studied,” said Hillard Kaplan, the study’s senior anthropology author from the University of New Mexico.
Scientists are now looking into the habits of the Bolivian community for clues on how other populations across the globe could improve their heart health.
“Their lifestyle suggests that a diet low in saturated fats and high in non-processed fibre-rich carbohydrates, along with wild game and fish, not smoking and being active throughout the day could help prevent hardening in the arteries of the heart,” explain Kaplan.
The research published in The Lancet, looked at more than 700 people aged over 40 and was funded by the US National Institute on Aging and National Institutes of Health.
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