Plant-based diet can ward off chronic diseases, keep planet healthy: Report

New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) Eating a plant-based diet, including whole grains, fruits and vegetables, with moderate intake of foods such as poultry and egg, can not only boost human health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, but also keep the planet healthy with less impact on climate change and biodiversity loss, according to a new report by the Lancet Commission on Friday.

The report showed that food systems are key drivers of the world's most urgent challenges, from chronic diseases and rising inequality to accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss.

Food production was also found to be a significant contributor to environmental degradation, accounting for nearly 30 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, leading to climate change, biodiversity loss, land use change, freshwater consumption, nutrient pollution, and novel entities such as pesticides and antibiotics.

On the other hand, adopting the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) -- a flexible, plant-rich dietary framework -- offered a clear, science-based target for a sustainable, healthy, and just food future.

The plant-rich, healthy diet in combination with global efforts to reduce food loss and waste by half can improve public health, restore planetary health, and provide enough food for an expected global population of 9.6 billion people by 2050, said the team.

The analysis also reveals that shifting global food systems and diets could prevent approximately 15 million premature deaths each year by lowering rates of chronic diseases linked to poor diets, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

"Food systems are a major contributor to many of the crises we face today, and at the same time, the key to solving them," said Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, Commission co-chair and director for nutrition, health, and food security at the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).

"The evidence laid out in our report is clear: the world must act boldly and equitably to ensure sustainable improvements. The choices we make today will determine the health of people and the planet for generations," she added.

The PHD, first introduced in 2019, recommends plant-rich, flexible diets, including whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and legumes. While the diet is complemented by moderate intakes of animal-sourced foods such as red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy, it also calls for limiting added sugars, saturated fats, and salt to reduce diet-related chronic diseases.

The report associated adherence to the PHD with significant reductions in the risk of major chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and obesity. This includes an estimated 27 per cent lower risk of premature death, or the prevention of approximately 15 million premature deaths per year globally compared to current diets.

--IANS

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