Health News Update: Planetary Diet: Less Death & Better Environment
Hey there everyone:
You may wonder why I am so positive about the evolving understanding about plant-based food plans and our environment, so here is a recent paper to add to your knowledge base:
“Conclusions: In 3 large United States-based prospective cohorts of males and females with up to 34 y of follow-up, a higher PHDI (Planetary Health Dietary Index) was associated with lower risk of total and cause-specific mortality and environment impacts.”
https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(24)00389-7/abstract
Closely following a planet-friendly diet of mostly fruits, vegetables and whole grains reduces the risk of premature death by nearly one-third in people, while also dramatically cutting the release of greenhouse gases devastating the planet, a new study found.
“Eating more whole plant foods, less animal foods, and less highly processed foods is better for people and planet alike,” said Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine who was not involved in the study.
“In this paper, we see that same message amplified: adhering to a dietary pattern conducive to the health of the planet and sustainability is associated with meaningful reductions in all-cause mortality,” he said in an email.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/10/health/planetary-diet-longevity-study-wellness
Bottom Line:
The evidence is mounting up and the conclusions are becoming more and more focused: whole food, unprocessed, plant-based food plans are good for you and the planet. Shifting your meal focus away from all types of processed foods and animal products and moving towards a plants predominant food plan has significant benefits for one and all. To put it another way, I have never seen a chronic illness get better without a dietary upgrade. Take all the functional medicine approaches and nutritional supplements you want, but without a clean, whole foods, low inflammatory potential predominantly plant-based food plan, I have yet to see someone reach their health goals adequately. Food is simply foundational, and quality matters significantly!! Check this out:
“Conclusion: Higher scores of HEI-2015 (Healthy Eating Index) and increased intake of a healthy plant-based diet were associated with lower inflammation, while an unhealthy plant-based diet was associated with higher inflammation.”
Wang YB, Page AJ, Gill TK, et al. The association between diet quality, plant-based diets, systemic inflammation, and mortality risk: findings from NHANES. Eur J Nutr. 2023. doi:10.1007/s00394-023-03191-z: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37347305/
