The research study established a Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) that relates food groups to health results and ecological impacts. There are obstacles in adopting such a diet plan generally, provided the varied health conditions, religious beliefs, and food ease of access of populations worldwide.
A plot of the relationship between danger of death from different causes and adherence to the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI). To create their Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI), researchers reviewed existing research study on the relationships between different food groups and health outcomes based on the EAT-Lancet recommendation diet plan that accounts for the ecological effects of food production practices. People with specific health conditions, spiritual limitations, or various food accessibility due to socioeconomic status or food availability may face difficulties with adhering to a more sustainable diet plan pattern.
A new research study reveals the advantages of a sustainable diet on longevity and health. People adhering to an environmentally friendly diet had a 25% lower risk of death over a 30-year duration. The research developed a Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) that relates food groups to health outcomes and environmental impacts. Those with higher PHDI ratings had lower risks of death from various diseases. There are obstacles in embracing such a diet plan universally, given the varied health conditions, spiritual beliefs, and food availabilities of populations worldwide.
A brand-new diet plan rating exposes foods that are a win-win for your health and the environment.
Consuming more planet-friendly foods might help you live a longer, much healthier life, according to brand-new research. Scientists found that people who followed a more ecologically sustainable diet plan were 25% less most likely to pass away throughout a follow-up period of over 30 years compared to those with a less sustainable diet.
Connect Between Diet and Health
The study develops upon previous research study that recognized foods that are a win-win for both health and the environment– such as whole grains, fruit, non-starchy vegetables, nuts, and unsaturated oils– as well as foods that might be harmful to the environment and human health, like eggs and red and processed meats. The new findings suggest eating more planet-friendly foods can help in reducing an individuals danger of death from causes such as cancer, heart illness, respiratory illness, and neurodegenerative illness.
” We proposed a new diet plan rating that integrates the best current clinical proof of food results on the environment and both health,” stated Linh Bui, MD, a PhD candidate in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “The results verified our hypothesis that a greater Planetary Health Diet rating was related to a lower danger of death.”
A plot of the relationship in between danger of death from numerous causes and adherence to the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI). People in the greatest quintile for PHDI (Q5) showed a considerably lower risk of death from all causes compared with those in the least expensive quintile. Credit: Linh Bui et al. at NUTRITION 2023
Bui will present the findings at NUTRITION 2023, the flagship annual conference of the American Society for Nutrition held July 22– 25 in Boston.
Environmental and Health Impact of Diet
According to existing evidence, plant-based foods are associated with both a lower danger of chronic diseases such as heart problem, colorectal cancer, diabetes, and stroke, and minimized impacts to the environment in terms of elements like water use, land usage, nutrient contamination, and greenhouse gas emissions.
With the new study, the scientists aimed to create a simple tool that policymakers and public health specialists could utilize to establish methods to improve public health and address the environment crisis.
” As a millennial, I have always been worried about alleviating human impacts on the environment,” stated Bui. “A sustainable dietary pattern must not only be healthy but also constant within planetary limits for greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental specifications.”
The Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI).
To produce their Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI), scientists evaluated existing research study on the relationships between various food groups and health results based on the EAT-Lancet reference diet that represents the ecological impacts of food production practices. They then applied the index to evaluate results amongst over 100,000 participants in two large friend research studies carried out in the United States. The data set included over 47,000 deaths throughout a follow-up duration spanning over 3 years from 1986-2018.
Overall, they discovered that individuals in the highest quintile (the top one-fifth of individuals) for PHDI had a 25% lower risk of death from any cause compared to those in the most affordable quintile. Higher PHDI ratings were related to a 15% lower danger of death from cancer or heart diseases, a 20% lower threat of death from neurodegenerative disease, and a 50% lower danger of death from respiratory diseases.
Bui cautioned that the PHDI does not necessarily show all food products and their relationships with all significant diseases in all nations. Individuals with specific health conditions, religious constraints, or various food ease of access due to socioeconomic status or food accessibility may face challenges with adhering to a more sustainable diet pattern. Further research might help to clarify and address such barriers.
” We hope that scientists can adjust this index to particular food cultures and confirm how it is associated with chronic illness and environmental impacts such as carbon footprint, water footprint, and land usage in other populations,” stated Bui.
Referral: “Planetary Health Diet Index and Risk of Total and Cause-Specific Mortality in Two Prospective Cohort Studies” by Linh P. Bui, Tung T. Pham, Fenglei Wang, Marta Guasch-Ferre and Walter C. Willett, 23 July 2023, NUTRITION 2023. Abstract.
NUTRITION 2023 featured numerous research studies utilizing the Planetary Health Diet Index for which Bui is a co-author. Andrea Romanos-Nanclares, PhD, presented “Planetary Health Diet Index and Risk of Total and Subtypes of Breast Cancer in the Nurses Health Studies” during the Nutritional Epidemiology (I) Poster Session (abstract; presentation details). Caleigh Sawicki, Ph.D., presented “Planetary Health Diet and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease: Findings From Two Cohorts of US Women” during the Dietary Patterns and Health Outcomes Oral Session (abstract; discussion information).
