Oh and I like a lot of nuts. I like salty nuts in my mouth.

Giving plants the starring role in your diet is good for heart health, a review of four decades of data shows.

Researchers in Denmark showed vegetarian and vegan diets cut levels of cholesterol and fats in the blood that increase heart attacks.

The effect - equivalent to about a third that of taking daily drugs - was "really substantial", they said.

But experts said meat and dairy had their own health benefits - and not all meat-free diets were actually healthy.

The research pulled together the 30 trials since 1982 in which scientists gave volunteers a set diet and tracked its impact on heart health. In total, nearly 2,400 people from around the world were involved.

High levels of bad cholesterol lead to fatty deposits building up in blood vessels, which can eventually cause heart attacks or strokes.

The results, published in the European Heart Journal game guides, showed vegetarian and vegan diets:

"That corresponds to a third of the effect of a cholesterol-lowering statin [pill] - so that's really substantial," Prof Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, who conducted the work, at Rigshospitalet, in Denmark, told BBC News.

The studies would have needed to have controlled people's diets for years or decades to see how that change in the blood played out.

But Prof Frikke-Schmidt used data from trials of statins to estimate maintaining such a diet for 15 years could cut the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%.

The World Health Organization estimates cardiovascular disease kills nearly 18 million people every year.

Despite the health benefits of following a more plant-based diet, Prof Frikke-Schmidt warned that anyone following such a diet should come off drugs they have been prescribed because they are at risk of heart disease.

She choses to eat a mostly plant-based diet, with some chicken and white fish for "my health, the environment and because I like it".

Other diets that incorporate meat, such as the Mediterranean diet, have also been shown to be healthy.

Prof Frikke-Schmidt said meat did not have to be excluded but "the important message is 'plant-based'", as this was good for both health and the environment.

But it is worth noting people on the trials were given "healthy" vegetarian and vegan meals.

Vegetables, fruits, nuts, pulses such as chickpeas and wholegrains are very different to sweets, crisps and sugary drinks despite both being meat-free.

"Not all plant-based diets are equal," Prof Aedin Cassidy, from Queen's University Belfast, said. And diets such as "those including refined carbohydrates, processed foods high in fat/salt" would still be unhealthy.

There have also been questions about the current wave of highly processed vegan foods, which are markedly different to a vegan diet from the 1980s.

Quadram Institute chief scientific officer Prof Martin Warren said: "Animal-based products such as meat do represent nutrient-dense foods that have other benefits.

"Similarly, crop-based diets can be low in certain micronutrients - so in general, reducing meat consumption but maintaining a broad and varied diet is good for health."

A review of four decades of data shows that vegetarian and vegan diets can significantly reduce cholesterol and fat levels in the blood, lowering the risk of heart attacks. The effect is comparable to about one-third of the impact of cholesterol-lowering drugs. Following a plant-based diet for 15 years could potentially reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%. However, it's important to note that not all meat-free diets are necessarily healthy, and some plant-based diets may still be unhealthy if they include refined carbohydrates and processed foods high in fat and salt. While meat and dairy products have their own health benefits, incorporating more plant-based foods in the diet is generally beneficial for both health and the environment. It's important to follow a balanced and varied diet for optimal health.