Amazon group has world's healthiest arteries, say scientists

Bolivia tribe has healthiest arteries
Bolivia tribe has healthiest arteries



An indigenous group in the Amazon has the 'world's healthiest arteries, scientists have discovered.

The study found that an 80-year-old from the Tsimane group had the same vascular age as an American in their mid-50s.

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According to Science Daily, the people in Bolivia have the lowest reported levels of vascular aging than other populations and it's thanks to their highly active lifestyles and low-fat, high-fibre diets.

Coronary atherosclerosis (the hardening of the arteries) is five times less common in the Tsimane group than in America.



Hillard Kaplan, the study's senior anthropology author from the University of New Mexico, said: "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."

The Independent reports that more than 700 people from the Tsimane population were involved in the study and almost nine out of ten of them were found with clear arteries.

Their diet mostly consists of rice, plantain, nuts, fruits and corn. The study found that they are inactive for only 10 per cent of their day, compared to people in industrial populations who are sedentary for 54 per cent of their waking hours.



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