High-Quality Plant-Based Diets Linked to Lower Risks of Cancer, Heart Disease, and Early Death

A recent study conducted in Ireland suggests that high-quality plant-based diets are linked to lower risks of cancer, heart disease, and early death. The study found that diets consisting of high-quality plant-based foods and lower amounts of animal products can reduce the risk of early death by up to 16%. Plant-based sources of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts are more beneficial for health than processed plant-based foods.

Study Details

The UK Biobank study included over 120,000 middle-aged adults, and food intake data were collected from participants for at least two 24-hour periods. The study assessed both healthful and unhealthful plant-based diet indexes based on quantities of different food groups consumed. Higher scores on the healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI) were associated with lower risks of all-cause mortality, cancer-related mortality, and cardiovascular incidents. By contrast, higher scores on the unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI) were associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality, cancer-related mortality, and cardiovascular incidents.

Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

Following a plant-based diet reduces overall mortality rates by 16%. Deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer drop by 8% and 7%, respectively, among those following a plant-based diet. Plant-based diets also reduce strokes and heart attacks by 16% and 14%, respectively.

Incorporating More Healthful Plant-Based Foods

It’s not necessary to switch to vegan or vegetarian diets but rather to incorporate more healthful plant-based foods, fish, and leaner cuts of meat into our habitual diet. Unhealthy plant-based diets were associated with a higher risk of mortality (23%). Hence incorporating healthier choices in our daily diet can go a long way in reducing the risk of serious diseases.

Introduction of a New Approach to Evaluate the Quality of Carbohydrate-containing Foods

Dietary recommendations in the U.S. lack an inclusion of cultural foods in building healthy dietary patterns. Prevailing approaches to carbohydrate food guidance focus only on carbohydrates, sugar, and dietary fiber, ignoring other important nutrients, and cultural considerations. However, a new holistic approach has been introduced called the Carbohydrate Food Quality Score (CFQS). This approach evaluates the contribution of underconsumed and overconsumed nutrients in carbohydrate-containing foods, unlike other approaches. The CFQS creates two distinct scoring systems, one for nongrain foods and one for grain-based foods.

The new approach can identify those foods that can be chosen frequently as dietary staples. The approach breaks the cycle of assigning binary classifiers to food choices and simplistic food classifications and provides a spectrum of carbohydrate food choices. CFQS is culturally inclusive, supports health equity among all Americans and can be applied across a variety of budgets, lifestyles, and cultures. The Quality Carbohydrate Coalition (QCC), a multistakeholder engagement of commodity groups across the food industry also supports the CFQS.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that a plant-based diet that is low in animal foods, sugary drinks, snacks and desserts, refined grains, potatoes, and fruit juices was associated with lower risks of mortality and major chronic diseases. It’s essential to incorporate healthier plant-based foods in our daily diet for overall good health. The present research demonstrates the feasibility and utility of using CFQS models across culturally and economically diverse eating patterns but future research is needed to examine the health impacts of consuming higher scoring CFQS dietary patterns compared to lower scoring patterns.

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