Whole Plant Foods Linked to 11% Lower Risk of Weight Gain

Getting more of your calories from whole and minimally processed plant foods is linked to an 11% lower risk of putting on weight, according to a UK Biobank study published in eClinicalMedicine on July 2.

Researchers led from the Federal University of Santa Catarina in Brazil, funded by World Cancer Research Fund, followed 17,374 UK adults aged 40 to 69 for an average of 5.3 years. They sorted every food from two to five 24-hour diet recalls by origin (plant or animal) and by processing level.

Each 10% more energy from plant foods that were not ultra-processed was linked to an 11% lower risk of a 5% rise in BMI and a 10% lower risk of a 5% rise in waist size. Plant-based ultra-processed foods went the other way, linked to 10% and 9% higher risk. Swapping any ultra-processed food, plant or animal, for whole plant foods was consistently linked to lower risk, the paper reports.

The authors conclude: "Our findings highlight the importance of considering food origin alongside processing, showing that plant-sourced non-UPF may confer protective effects, whereas plant-sourced UPF contribute to adverse weight outcomes."

So the beans, oats, fruit and veg do the heavy lifting, and the occasional vegan burger is a treat rather than a staple.

It fits with last year's trial showing a vegan diet lowers dietary acid load and helps weight loss, and a study linking fruit and vegetables to 20% lower dementia risk last week.

Whole foods, whole health.