Premature death linked to planetary diet

Premature death linked to planetary diet

Reduced environmental impact and a lower risk of premature death are linked to a planetary health diet.

Boston, Massachusetts According to a recent study conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health,

people who follow a healthy, sustainable diet may significantly reduce their chance of dying

young and their environmental impact. It is the first sizable study to assess the effects of following the 2019 EAT-Lancet

report’s groundbreaking recommendations directly. The Planetary Health Diet (PHD) is

the term given by the researchers to the dietary pattern that is described in the report and emphasizes a range of minimally processed plant foods while permitting a

limited amount of meat and dairy products.

“Our food system plays a major role in the ecological disaster that climate change has put our planet on,” said Walter Willett,

a professor of epidemiology and nutrition and corresponding author. Modifying our

dietary habits can aid in mitigating the effects of climate change. Additionally, human health is best when it aligns with the planet’s health.

While some research has suggested that diets that prioritize plant-based meals over foods derived from animals may be beneficial to

both human and environmental health, the majority of these studies have

relied on one-time dietary assessments, which yield less conclusive results than long-term diet studies.

More than 200,000 men and women who were enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study I and II provided health data to the researchers.

At the beginning of the trial, participants had no significant chronic illnesses, and they answered dietary questionnaires every four years for a maximum of 34 years. I

n order to measure adherence to the PHD,

participants’ meals were graded according on their intake of 15 food groups, which included whole grains, veggies, chicken, and nuts.

According to the study, individuals in the top 10% who adhered to PHD the closest had a 30% lower risk of dying young than those in the bottom 10%.

Greater adherence to this eating pattern was associated

with decreased rates of every major cause of mortality, including heart disease, lung disease, and cancer.

Furthermore, the researchers discovered that individuals who adhered to the PHD the best had significantly less of an influence on the environment

than those who did not, with differences in

greenhouse gas emissions, fertilizer requirements, and cropland use of 29%, 21%, and 51%, respectively.

The reduction in land use, according to the researchers, is especially crucial for promoting reforestation, which is seen to be a successful strategy for

lowering greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declined to take the environmental implications of dietary decisions into account,

and any mention of the effects of food on the environment will not be permitted

in the next version of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which makes our work notable, according to Willett.

The results demonstrate the close connection between planetary and human health. Eating a balanced diet promotes environmental sustainability,

which is vital for everyone’s health and welfare on the planet.