According to a new study by scientists from Oxford University (UK), an unbalanced diet is the main cause of health problems in people around the world, and also has a detrimental effect on the environment.
“What we eat has a huge impact on our health and the environment,” is the summary of the scientific report, voiced by Marco Springmann. At the University of Oxford, Marco leads the interdisciplinary Oxford Martin Program on the Future of Food. A study presented in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), America's leading journal for original scientific research, modeled the effects of four diets by 2050:
- let it be as it is";
- set minimums for fruits and vegetables, as well as limits for red meat, sugar, and total calories;
- vegetarian diet;
- vegan diet.
What will humanity and the entire planet gain in the described scenarios? The second option (reduce meat consumption) would reduce the annual number of deaths by 5.1 million people and greenhouse gas emissions by 29%, and the last (eliminate any animal products) would reduce global mortality by 8.1 million people per year, the amount of gases - by 70%. If we talk about money, then changing the diet on a global scale will allow humanity to save from 700 to 1000 billion USD per year on health care, and the possible benefit from reducing greenhouse gases is estimated at 570 billion USD.
Some other interesting facts from the study:
- The usefulness of dietary advice varies by geographic region. The greatest effect of reducing red meat consumption can be achieved in East Asia, Western countries with middle and high incomes, Latin America, and the increase in fruits and vegetables in the daily diet will be the main factor in reducing mortality in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa ).
- To achieve the second point, humanity needs to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables by 25% and reduce the consumption of red meat by 56%.
- In general, humanity needs to reduce the number of calories consumed by 15%.
Details of the study "Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change" can be found on the PNAS website (in English).
See also anekdotig:
- Newsletter: " World Health Organization recommends reducing consumption of red and processed meat " (October 27, 2015)
- Article: " The 'China Study' for Vegetarianism ".
- Article: “ Why and how does animal husbandry harm the environment? ".
- Video: " Paul McCartney on Meat Free Monday ."
- Tip: " Organize a day without meat and animal products " (September 14, 2015)