June 10, 2024 – A food regimen wealthy in fruits, vegetables and whole grains may not only result in longer lives, but might also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote other things that protect the environment, a brand new study shows.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from the diets of 200,000 people and assessed how well their selections were aligned with the Nutrition for planetary health. A panel of experts proposed a dietary plan in 2018 that individuals can follow to maximise their personal health and the health of the planet.
People who followed the food regimen most closely had a 25 percent lower risk of early death and were less more likely to die from heart problems, cancer, respiratory disease or neurodegenerative diseases reminiscent of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's than individuals who ate mostly animal proteins, foods with added sugar and processed foods.
Women who strictly adhered to the food regimen were less more likely to die from infectious diseases, while men weren’t. The researchers described the link they observed between the food regimen and a reduced risk of respiratory diseases reminiscent of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as one in all the “most striking” health effects.
The Results were published on Monday in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The people involved within the study provided detailed details about their food regimen every 4 years for as much as 34 years and all of them were either nurses or other health care professionals.
The Planetary Health Diet suggests about 2,500 calories per day, with half of the every day food regimen coming from fruit and veggies, followed by whole grains and plant proteins. The food regimen can include small amounts of dairy and animal proteins, and oils needs to be unsaturated vegetable oils. The creators of the food regimen describe it as an optimization of human health and environmental sustainability.
“Climate change is putting our planet on the path to ecological catastrophe, and our food system plays a major role,” said study writer Walter Willett, MD, professor of epidemiology and nutrition on the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, in a opinion“Changing our diets can help slow climate change. And what is healthiest for the planet is also healthiest for people.”
The researchers estimated that strictly following a planet-friendly food regimen could have far-reaching environmental impacts, reminiscent of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent, reducing fertilizer needs by 21 percent, and reducing farmland use by 51 percent in comparison with a food regimen consisting primarily of highly processed or animal-based foods.
“The results demonstrate how closely human health and planetary health are linked,” said Willett. “Healthy eating promotes environmental sustainability – which in turn is critical to the health and well-being of every person on Earth.”