Many women on plant-based diets are reaping the benefits. Boxer Claressa Shields is proud to win the right to be called the GWOAT or the Greatest Woman of All Time when she recently became the first female fighter to win an undisputed championship in two weight classes. A lot of intense training and her plant-based diet helped contribute to her wins. 

Athletes like Claressa say plant-based and vegan diets help to lower inflammation in the body, prevent injury and promotes faster recovery times. In fact, a female study that analyzed women on plant-based diets recently made major headlines. The Journal of the American Heart Association said getting protein from plant-based sources like beans and nuts instead of animal proteins like red meat and dairy is linked to fewer deaths related to dementia and heart disease.

The women in the study who ate more protein from plant-based sources also had a lower risk of death from all causes, in comparison to women who ate more red meat, dairy and eggs.

Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News chief medical correspondent and a board-certified OB-GYN, recently commented on the study saying, "One of the (working theories of how a plant-based diet helps) has to do with inflammatory metabolites, so these are by-products of animal protein that can then affect the heart and the brain and our blood vessels. Another [theory] has to do with the gut microbiome, that good bacteria, and obviously what we eat is related to that."

Another article found six other ways women can benefit by converting to vegan diets. WellSeek said two of those included women can manage their blood sugar better and can lower their chances of developing endometriosis and fibroids, which is common in women. 

Plant-based diets can also help women with fertility issues. A 2011 study that was published in the National Institute of Health looked at nearly 20,000 women. It concluded replacing animal sources of protein with vegetable sources of protein may reduce ovulatory infertility risk.

Switching to a plant-based or vegan diet is easier than you think. For starters, try reducing meat and dairy to just a few days a week. Make sure to also take note of how your body responds from possible weight loss to even lower cholesterol.

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