Planet-friendly Diets?

As highlighted in Stuff, a Harvard study finds that those who followed a more sustainable diet – eating predominantly vegetables, greens, fruits and whole grains, while reducing meat, fish, eggs and cereals, were less likely to die over the course of three decades.

The findings were based on the health outcomes of more than 100,000 people in the US, from 1986 to 2018, of whom more 47,000 died during the follow-up period.

Those who scored highest on the Planetary Health Diet Index - which measures how well people stick to the recommended daily intake of foods that are good for the planet – were 15% less likely to have died from cancer or heart disease.

They also had a 20% lower chance of death from neurodegenerative disease, and their risk of death from respiratory disease was halved. Overall a “green” diet cut the risk of an early death by a quarter.

The findings were presented at Nutrition 2023, the annual meeting for the American Society for Nutrition in Boston