A new study shows that a plant-based diet is even healthier than previously believed and could likely extend your lifespan.
According to a report posted by Medical Xpress, a new study from the National Institutes of Health shows that getting the majority of the fats in your diet from plants, such as nuts, grains, or vegetables, rather than animal products like meat, cheese, and butter saw significantly reduced risks of dying during the 24-year study period and a sizable decrease in the chances of death from heart disease.
The study tracked over 400,000 people from 1995 through 2019, sorting them into five groups depending on how much plant or animal fat they ate as part of their diet.
According to Dr. Demetrius Albanes, who led the study, it "provides evidence that diets high in animal-based fats, including dairy and eggs, are associated with elevated risks of overall and cardiovascular disease mortality."
According to the study, those who were in the top 20% — or those whose diets consisted of the most plant-based fatty acids — had a 9% lower chance of dying from any cause and a 14% lower chance of dying from heart disease than those who were in the lowest 20%.
Taking the data further, those who got the majority of their fats from vegetable oils compared to other sources had "12 percent lower odds for all-cause death and 15 percent lower odds for death from heart disease."
To further drive home the point, the study showed that those who ranked in the 20% whose diets included the most animal-based fats had a 16% higher chance of dying from heart disease and a 14% higher chance of dying from any cause.
Other studies have shown that plant-based diets reduce stress and anxiety as well as reduce the severity of prostate cancer.
Apart from the obvious health benefits of a plant-based diet, moving away from an animal-based farming system will have a significant benefit to our planet as well. According to an EPA report from April, summarized by the Center for Biological Diversity, agriculture is the leading source of the United States' methane and nitrous oxide pollution — two of the primary planet-warming gases — and animal agriculture is responsible for 36% of the methane.
If we reduce our dependence on animals in our diet, we can reduce the amount of dangerous gases they produce, which helps cool our planet.
Dr. Albanes' study also noted that switching to a plant-based diet could still make a significant impact on your well-being.
"Replacement of 5% energy [intake] from animal fat with 5% energy from plant fat, particularly fat from grains or vegetable oils, was associated with a lower risk for mortality," the study said, per Medical Xpress, pointing out a "4% to 24% reduction in overall mortality, and 5% to 30% reduction in cardiovascular mortality."
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