Climate change|More than 200,000 people were followed in the study, some for up to 34 years. A diet favoring vegetarian food was associated with a lower risk of death and environmental burden
The summary is made by artificial intelligence and checked by a human.
A planetary diet reduces the risk of premature death and environmental stress.
A follow-up study of more than 200,000 people confirmed the benefits of a planetary diet.
Those who followed the best diet had a more than 30 percent lower risk of premature death.
Greenhouse emissions, the need for fertilizers and the use of cultivated land decreased significantly.
Wide American research provides strong evidence of the benefits of a planetary diet for human health and the environment.
The planetary diet refers to researchers in 2019 to develop a diet. It emphasizes vegetarian food, but also allows a moderate amount of meat and dairy products.
In a new study, more than 200,000 men and women were followed for decades. The risk of premature death of those who followed the planetary diet was significantly lower, as was the burden on the environment.
The study was published on Monday The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in the journal. Harvard University led the research informed about it on their website.
In research the health data of the women and men being followed were used. The subjects did not have long-term illnesses at the beginning of the follow-up.
The subjects filled out questionnaires about their diet every two to four years. Depending on the group, there was material from 24 or 34 years.
The participants’ diets were scored according to 15 food groups, which included, among others, whole grains, vegetables, poultry products and nuts.
This was used to examine the extent to which the subjects’ diet matched the planetary diet.
There are restrictions on the amount of meat and dairy products in the diet, and for example, about 80 percent of the protein should come from plant products. In addition, the intake of saturated fat and sugar is limited in the diet.
The environmental benefits of a planetary diet include a lower need for farmland. Pictured is harrowing of an oat field in Pälkäne municipality in May 2020.
To be investigated were divided into five groups according to how well their eating habits corresponded to the planetary diet.
The fifth who followed the planetary diet more closely had a more than 30 percent lower risk of premature death than the fifth whose diet deviated the most from the diet.
The risk of all major causes of death was lower in those who followed the planetary diet best. Important causes of death were mentioned, for example, cancers and heart and lung diseases.
The researchers who originally developed the planetary diet estimated when they published it that by switching to it, 11 million premature deaths could be avoided every year.
A new study confirms the claim with a long-term screen. In most previous studies, diet has been evaluated only once, so the evidence is not as strong.
Smaller in addition to the risk of mortality, the diet has clear advantages in terms of the environment.
For those who followed the planetary diet best, greenhouse emissions were 29 percent lower, fertilizers were needed 21 percent less, and farmland was used 51 percent less.
According to the researchers, the smaller need for farmland in particular is important, because it could also help reduce greenhouse emissions through reforestation.