Following the “Eatwell Guide” diet can reduce your risk of premature death and lower your environmental footprint

Protecting British public health”Eatwell GuideBalanced diet reduces the chance of premature death and lowers the environmental footprint, BMJ Open..

The study was led by the London School of Health and Tropical Medicine in collaboration with Oxford University and funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Those who adhered to more than five assessed recommendations in the guidelines had an estimated 7% mortality risk based on three major UK databases (UK Biobank, EPIC Oxford and Million Women Study data). It turns out that it has decreased).

they again, Recommendation Associated with the largest reductions when done alone was the consumption of fruits and vegetables, which reduced the estimated risk by 10%.

In addition, the study showed that following the recommendations of the Eatwell Guide can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, one of the largest contributors to climate change. A diet that adhered to 5-9 of the evaluated recommendations reduced CO by 1.6 kg.₂ Emissions per day, 30% reduction compared to average daily CO₂ Eating meals in accordance with up to 2 of the 9 recommendations evaluated.

However, according to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey data, less than 0.1% of people followed all nine guidelines. Most people (44%) followed three or four recommendations, but dietary fiber and oily fish intakes are the least common category.

Worldwide, approximately 1.9 billion adults are overweight or obese, 462 million are overweight, and a third suffer from essential nutrient deficiency. The government further emphasizes the need for a balanced and healthy diet, especially a more sustainable and environmentally friendly diet.

The current Government Eatwell Guide (EWG), published in 2016, provides advice on balanced and healthy eating. The recommendations include advice to eat 5 portions of fruit and vegetables, whole grains, high fiber carbs, low fat and sugar dairy options per day. The EWG also recommends consuming less than 70g of red meat and processed meat per day, and replacing meats with low fat, high fiber proteins such as beans, legumes, fish and eggs.

Other recommendations include choice of unsaturated oils and spreads, limiting consumption of foods high in fat, salt and sugar, and taking 6-8 glasses of fluid daily.

Previous studies have shown that intake of fruits, vegetables, and fiber, in combination with restricted intake of sugar and processed meat, is associated with improved cardiovascular health and reduced cancer risk. I will.

Dr. Pauline Scheelbeek, associate professor and principal author of nutrition and environmental epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said:

“Our research shows that the Eatwell Guides form an effective first step towards a healthier and more sustainable diet in the UK. Further adherence to the guidelines means population health. Not only does it bring about the above benefits, but it is also associated with a lower environmental footprint due to the reduction of greenhouse gases.

“But to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, we need more dietary changes than recommended by the Eatwell Guide.

“The Eatwell Guide does not specifically address the sustainability of the dietary environment, and therefore, in both ways of consumption and production, in a way that is culturally acceptable and can be practiced by the British people. We need to investigate ways to further reduce our environmental footprint, without compromising the health of our population.”

The research team uses greenhouse gas emissions and water footprint (amount of groundwater or surface water used by crops or livestock) to Environmental footprint Of the diet. Dietary water footprints from low to high adherence to recommendations made little difference.

Consumption of lean or processed meat has been shown to contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. This study shows that by limiting the amount eaten to reduce the dietary footprint, we eat more beans, legumes, and a sustainably sourced fish with less environmental impact.₂ Emissions were reduced by 1.5 kg per day.

“We are happy to announce that LSHTM’s Center for Climate Change and Planetary Health is the director and author of the study,” said Professor Alan Dungor.

“National dietary recommendations provide people with important evidence-based guidance on health components diet.. Our new analysis shows that following the Eatwell Guide will significantly improve human health in the UK and reduce our country’s footprint on Earth. “

“Public Health The UK has the opportunity to reach the whole government and define national dietary guidelines that meet both health and environmental goals, and encourages the UK Government to develop a stronger, participatory approach to address pressing issues. Request health And the environmental crisis. “

The author acknowledges the limitation of analysis. The authors did not rank dietary recommendations, and their analysis assumed that all recommendations had equal values, whether adhered to or not. Finally, despite the fact that a large UK-based study was used for this analysis, there is uncertainty about the exact impact on morbidity and mortality risk of adherence to specific dietary guidelines. Accompany it.