According to a new study, eating organic foods will help you live a longer and healthier life. And save our planet.
People who ate a more environmentally friendly diet were 25% less likely to die over a 30-year follow-up period than those who ate a less balanced diet.
>
This work builds on previous research where products have been identified that are win-win for both health and the environment. These include whole grains, fruits, non-starchy vegetables, nuts, and unsaturated oils. Products from the opposite camp, which are considered harmful to the environment and human health, are eggs, red and processed meat.
The results of a new study show that eating more environmentally friendly foods can help reduce the risk of death from cancer, heart disease, respiratory and neurodegenerative diseases. It is also associated with less environmental impact in terms of factors such as water use, land use, nutrient pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
In the new study, the scientists sought to create a simple tool that policy makers and public health professionals could use to develop strategies to improve public health and tackle the climate crisis. The result was the Planetary Healthy Diet Index (PHDI).
Scientists reviewed existing research on the relationship between different food groups and health outcomes based on the EAT-Lancet reference diet, which takes into account the environmental impact of food production methods. They then applied the index to analyze outcomes among more than 100,000 participants in two large cohort studies conducted in the United States. The dataset included more than 47,000 deaths over a follow-up period spanning over three decades from 1986 to 2018.
Overall, they found that people in the highest quintile (one-fifth of participants) in PHDI had a 25% lower risk of dying from any cause than people in the lowest quintile. Higher PHDI scores were associated with a 15% lower risk of dying from cancer or cardiovascular disease, a 20% lower risk of dying from neurodegenerative diseases, and a 50% lower risk of dying from respiratory disease.