By Carol Tanzer Miller, HealthDay reporter
Health Day
MONDAY, June 10, 2024 (HealthDay News) — A plant-based diet designed to save the planet may also save lives, a major study finds.
“Changing our diet can help slow the progression of climate change,” said Dr. Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and corresponding author of the paper, “and what's healthiest for the planet is also healthiest for people.”
Known as the Planetary Health Diet (PHD), this diet emphasizes minimally processed, plant-based foods and allows for moderate consumption of meat and dairy products.
Other studies have shown that a plant-based diet could benefit both the planet and people, but most of those studies have looked at specific points in time. The new study used health data from more than 200,000 men and women followed for up to 34 years.
The researchers found that people whose diet most closely resembled the PHD regimen had a 30% lower risk of early death compared to those whose diet was least similar.
The same was true for all leading causes of death in the study, including cancer, heart disease, and lung disease. None of the participants had any major chronic illnesses to begin with.
They filled out dietary questionnaires every four years and were scored based on their intake of 15 food groups, including vegetables, poultry, whole grains and nuts.
The study found that people whose dietary habits most closely aligned with the PHD also had a greater positive impact on the environment, including a 29% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 21% reduction in fertilizer needs, and a 51% reduction in cropland use, compared to those with the lowest adherence.
The researchers said using less land for food production was key to promoting reforestation, which is key to reducing levels of greenhouse gases that drive climate change.
“The findings show how human and planetary health are intertwined,” Willett said in a Harvard news release. “Eating healthy food promotes environmental sustainability, which is essential to the health and well-being of all people on the planet.”
Source: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, news release, June 10, 2024
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