Vegan Diet Could Cut Premature Deaths by 22% and Food Emissions by Up to 87%, Oxford Study Finds

A healthy vegan diet could cut premature deaths by 22% and greenhouse gas emissions from food by up to 87%, according to a new global modeling study from the University of Oxford.

Dr. Marco Springmann and colleagues at the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food and the Nuffield Department of Population Health modeled diets in more than 150 countries. Energy-balanced, mostly plant-based diets reduced premature deaths by between 19% (flexitarian) and 22% (vegan) and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 54-87%, with the greatest reductions for vegan diets. Nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer use also fell by around a fifth to a quarter. The study is published in The Lancet Planetary Health.

These are modeled estimates rather than observed outcomes, but the direction is clear. Dr. Springmann said in the Oxford Martin School release:

Our research suggest that we need a dietary-change strategy that encourages predominantly plant-based diets and improvements in weight levels and total calorie intake, in line with the latest scientific evidence on healthy eating, if we are to address nutrient deficiencies, lower the number of deaths from chronic-diseases, and reduce environmental impacts.

The team also called on governments to update national dietary guidelines, many of which set no or very lax limits on meat and dairy.

It comes days after Springmann's Nature study on keeping food within planetary limits, and builds on the Oxford finding that a global vegan diet would save more than 8 million lives by 2050.

Good for people, good for the planet. What's not to love?