Health and environmental impacts of plant-rich dietary patterns: a US prospective cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Diets that are rich in animal-based foods threaten planetary and human health, but plant-rich diets have varied health and environmental effects. We aimed to characterise a healthy dietary index and three plant-based indices by their environmental impacts and associations with risk of cardiovascular disease.

Methods

In this prospective cohort study, we used data from a food-frequency questionnaire in the US-based Nurses' Health Study II. Participants were categorised by quintiles of four dietary indices, including the alternative healthy eating index-2010 (AHEI), plant-based diet index (PDI), unhealthy PDI, and healthy PDI. We calculated environmental impacts (greenhouse gas emissions and irrigation water, nitrogenous fertiliser, and high-quality cropland needs),

SUBMITTER: Musicus AA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9674022 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature