Planetary Health Diet Linked to 35% Lower Risk of Death and 25% Lower Emissions in US Adults

Americans who eat closest to the plant-forward Planetary Health Diet have a 35% lower risk of death, 41% lower prevalence of obesity and diets that produce 25% less greenhouse gas, a new national study finds.

Researchers at Emory University and Harvard, including Professor Walter Willett, analyzed 27,181 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2018, publishing in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Diets were scored from two 24-hour recalls and linked to food-emissions data. Comparing the top fifth with the bottom fifth, the highest scorers also had less abdominal obesity and a better cardiometabolic profile. The average US score rose slightly over the period, from 68.6 to 71.7 out of 140, so there is plenty of room to grow.

The authors conclude in the paper:

These results underscore the potential health and GHG emission benefits aligned with the planetary health diet.

GHG means greenhouse gas. The diet is mostly whole grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts and legumes, which makes it an easy one to follow on plants.

It matches last year's Harvard study of 200,000 people linking the Planetary Health Diet to a 23% lower risk of early death, and the original EAT-Lancet report in which 37 scientists agreed the world must halve red meat.

Healthier people, healthier planet.