Co-benefits from sustainable dietary shifts for population and environmental health: an assessment from a large European cohort study

Scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Imperial College London (United Kingdom), and partner institutions have found that diets including foods that require higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions or that require larger areas of land for their production are associated with higher rates of all-cause mortality, cause-specific mortality, and cancer incidence. The results were published in The Lancet Planetary Health.

The researchers examined data from almost 500 000 individuals in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort. They found a 13% and 18% higher risk of all-cause mortality when comparing diets requiring the highest levels of greenhouse gas emissions and land use, respectively, with those requiring the lowest. Similar associations were observed for cause-specific mortality and overall cancer incidence rates.

These results demonstrate that diets that are more protective of our environment may also be better for our health. Unhealthy diets, the rising prevalence of noncommunicable diseases, and the declining health of the planet are highly intertwined, because food production and consumption are major drivers of increases in greenhouse gas emissions and greater land use. Understanding the impact of diets on both population health and planetary health is crucial for the development of sustainable public health policies and to support the environment.

Laine JE, Huybrechts I, Gunter MJ, Ferrari P, Weiderpass E, Tsilidis K, et al.
Co-benefits from sustainable dietary shifts for population and environmental health: an assessment from a large European cohort study
Lancet Planet Health, Published online 21 October 2021;
https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00250-3

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