Plant-Based Diets Reduce Mortality from Heart Disease and Cancer

Plant-based diets reduce mortality from heart disease, cancer, and all-causes, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers compared diet records with mortality rates for 22,421 participants from the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort. Those with the highest adherence to the Lancet diet, which included high intakes of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains and limited intakes of animal products and saturated fats, lowered their mortality rates for cancer, heart disease, and all-causes by 25% when compared to those who did not closely follow the diet. The authors suggest future research utilize these results to develop global sustainable dietary guidelines.