A perspective on the transition to plant-based diets: A diet change may attenuate climate change, but can it also attenuate obesity and chronic disease risk?

TY - JOUR

T1 - A perspective on the transition to plant-based diets

T2 - A diet change may attenuate climate change, but can it also attenuate obesity and chronic disease risk?

AU - Magkos, Faidon

AU - Tetens, Inge

AU - Bügel, Susanne Gjedsted

AU - Felby, Claus

AU - Schacht, Simon Rønnow

AU - Hill, James O

AU - Ravussin, Eric

AU - Astrup, Arne

N1 - CURIS 2019 NEXS 301 Copyright © American Society for Nutrition 2019.

PY - 2020/1/1

Y1 - 2020/1/1

N2 - Current dietary guidelines advocate more plant-based, sustainable diets on the basis of scientific evidence about diet-health relations but also to address environmental concerns. Here, we critically review the effects of plant-based diets on the prevalence of obesity and other health outcomes. Plant-based diets per se have limited efficacy for the prevention and treatment of obesity, but most have beneficial effects in terms of chronic disease risk. However, with the considerable possibilities of translating plant-based diets into various types of dietary patterns, our analysis suggests that potential adverse health effects should also be considered in relation to vulnerable groups of the population. A transition to more plant-based diets may exert beneficial effects on the environment, but is unlikely to affect obesity, and may also have adverse health effects if this change is made without careful consideration of the nutritional needs of the individual relative to the adequacy of the dietary intake.

AB - Current dietary guidelines advocate more plant-based, sustainable diets on the basis of scientific evidence about diet-health relations but also to address environmental concerns. Here, we critically review the effects of plant-based diets on the prevalence of obesity and other health outcomes. Plant-based diets per se have limited efficacy for the prevention and treatment of obesity, but most have beneficial effects in terms of chronic disease risk. However, with the considerable possibilities of translating plant-based diets into various types of dietary patterns, our analysis suggests that potential adverse health effects should also be considered in relation to vulnerable groups of the population. A transition to more plant-based diets may exert beneficial effects on the environment, but is unlikely to affect obesity, and may also have adverse health effects if this change is made without careful consideration of the nutritional needs of the individual relative to the adequacy of the dietary intake.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Sustainable diets

KW - Plant food

KW - Animal food

KW - Climate change

KW - Environmental footprint

U2 - 10.1093/advances/nmz090

DO - 10.1093/advances/nmz090

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 31504086

SN - 2161-8313

JO - Advances in Nutrition

JF - Advances in Nutrition

ER -