Consuming foods that benefit the environment may increase your lifespan, study claims.
"Changing our eating habits can contribute to saving our planet and also improving our own health," said Dr. David Katz, a preventive and lifestyle medicine expert who wasn't part of the study. "This research shows that following a diet that's good for the planet can significantly reduce mortality rates for various causes."
"The Eat-Lancet Commission came up with a diet aimed at both enhancing human well-being and reducing the environmental impact of food production. Their plan emphasized eating more plant-based fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, while reducing meat and dairy intake," he explained in an email.
"Livestock farming for human consumption may play a significant role in the climate crisis. Cattle, sheep, and goats emit harmful gases, like methane, that contribute to deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution," Katz added.
"An adult cow, for instance, can release up to 500 liters of methane per day, making it a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions. Together, these animals are responsible for around 15% of the world's greenhouse gas output, according to the UN Environment Programme."
The study found that following a planet-healthy diet could help reduce land use by 51%, greenhouse gas emissions by 29%, and fertilizer usage by 21%, while also extending people's lifespans. Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, was the corresponding author of the research.
"Eating a diet that's good for the planet benefits us as well," said Willett. "For every major cause of death we studied, individuals with closer adherence to the planetary health diet had a lower risk. Each group, from neurodegenerative diseases to respiratory illnesses, experienced reductions in risk."
In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission, a group of international experts, developed a diet to achieve these dual objectives. It suggested increasing plant-based food intake while decreasing meat and dairy consumption.
The investigation used data from the Nurses' Health Study, the Nurses' Health Study II, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. Over 200,000 participants with no pre-existing conditions started these long-term government studies between 1980 and 1992. Every four years for 34 years, these individuals filled out dietary questionnaires, offering valuable insights into their food choices.
Using this data, the researchers assigned dietary scores considering the consumption of 15 different food groups. Foods favorable to the planet use fewer resources and include whole grains, tubers, vegetables, whole fruits, legumes, soybean products, and unsaturated plant oils like olive oil. Animals requiring more land like cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, and poultry, along with added sugars, were also evaluated.
According to Willett, this study presents more statistical precision and is larger and more extensive than previous investigations. "The top 10% of individuals who followed the planetary health diet had a 30% lower risk of premature death, while those at the bottom had a higher risk," he said. "[Also], the top 10% had a 28% lower risk of neurodegenerative mortality, a 14% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, a 10% lower risk of cancer mortality, and a 47% lower risk of respiratory disease mortality."
"These findings demonstrate how intricately human and planetary health are linked. Eating in a health-conscious way aids environmental sustainability, which is crucial for everyone's well-being on Earth."
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"Adopting the Eat-Lancet Commission's diet, which emphasizes plant-based foods and reduces meat and dairy intake, can not only improve our health but also contribute to our overall wellness by promoting better environmental sustainability."
"Practicing a planet-friendly diet, as suggested by the research, can lead to a variety of health benefits, reducing the risk of several diseases and thereby improving our overall wellness and quality of life."
