A study done at Oxford University in England says vegetarians are almost a third less likely to be hospitalized or die because of heart problems.

The study tracked about 45,000 people in England and Scotland over 11 to 12 years. “After taking into account participants’ ages, exercise habits and other health measures, the research team found vegetarians were 32 percent less likely to develop heart disease than carnivores,” Reuters news agency reports.

Researchers concluded that a vegetarian diet is likely a good way to reduce the risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in developed countries. But they also noted that other differences in lifestyle may have been responsible for the difference, and that people who don’t want to give up meat can still help their hearts by cutting back on saturated fats, like those found in butter and ice cream.