Healthy diet means a healthy planet, study shows

[Massdriver]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/oct/28/healthy-diet-means-a-healthy-planet-study-shows

https://www.pnas.org/content/116/46/23357

Quote

 

Eating healthy food is almost always also best for the environment, according to the most sophisticated analysis to date.

The researchers said poor diets threaten society by seriously harming people and the planet, but the latest research can inform better choices.

 

The analysis assessed the health and environmental impacts of 15 foods common in western diets and found fruit, vegetables, beans and wholegrains were best for both avoiding disease and protecting the climate and water resources. Conversely, eating more red and processed meat causes the most ill health and pollution.

 

There were a small number of foods that bucked the trend. Fish is generally a healthy choice but has a bigger environmental footprint on average than plant-based diets. High-sugar foods, such as biscuits and fizzy drinks, have a low impact on the planet but are bad for health.

 

The effect of bad diets on health in rich nations is well known, as is the need to slash western meat consumption in order to tackle the climate breakdown and other environmental crises. But this is the first study to consider both together in detail.

 

 

[Joe]

Seems like this study was conducted with antiquated notions of what qualifies as healthy food and what doesn't.

[outsida]

Based on the charts it seems, meat = not healthy, not good for environment 

[Zaku3]

1 minute ago, outsida said:

Based on the charts it seems, meat = not healthy, not good for environment 

It's warp kid. It's been an honor gentlemen. 

[Massdriver]

15 minutes ago, Jose said:

Seems like this study was conducted with antiquated notions of what qualifies as healthy food and what doesn't.

What makes you say that?

[Joe]

3 minutes ago, Massdriver said:

What makes you say that?

 

Well eggs, for one, aren't remotely unhealthy. Bad for the environment? Probably. But certainly not unhealthy.

[SilentWorld]

When you think about it, any food that involves raising animals in factory like conditions is pretty inhumane regardless of whether it's bad for the environment or how healthy it is. But I'm still gonna eat chicken and eggs and probably beef too. 

[Massdriver]

4 minutes ago, Jose said:

 

Well eggs, for one, aren't remotely unhealthy. Bad for the environment? Probably. But certainly not unhealthy.

I agree that eggs seem to be marked too harmful on health from my previous read (although there is some evidence it can be harmful for certain sub populations), but the other food categories seems to match the meta studies I’m familiar with on health. 
 

I need to dig into their data on eggs. 

[Comet]

I've been whole food plant-based since January 1st this year. That, coupled with two-a-days, got me from 200lbs down to 165lbs in a few months. Highly recommend it, and I've probably lessened my carbon footprint considerably (god I used to eat so much meat). 

For anyone interested, or in a rather prickly debating mood, a lot of what I follow comes from Dr. Greger's book "How Not to Die". 

 

And for the whole discussion on eggs, the only thing I've really come across is a higher association of asthma risk with children who eat eggs regularly. It just seems like an association and not much else. Also, the risk of salmonella but that to me is almost an entirely different category of health (non-nutritional). 

[outsida]

2 hours ago, Jose said:

 

Well eggs, for one, aren't remotely unhealthy. Bad for the environment? Probably. But certainly not unhealthy.

Eggs(the yoke) are high in cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease, therefore it’s healthy???

[Joe]

5 minutes ago, outsida said:

Eggs(the yoke) are high in cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease, therefore it’s healthy???

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/02/10/feds-poised-to-withdraw-longstanding-warnings-about-dietary-cholesterol/

[Zaku3]

7 minutes ago, outsida said:

Eggs(the yoke) are high in cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease, therefore it’s healthy???

My understand is it has bad and good cholesterol in such quantities they cancel each other out.

[Massdriver]

22 minutes ago, outsida said:

Eggs(the yoke) are high in cholesterol. Dietary cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease, therefore it’s healthy???

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31173548

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29680985

 

I haven't looked at the data they used in their analysis, but it doesn't match some of the reviews I'm aware of. That's not to say eggs are healthy, but they also don't seem to be bad either. They seem pretty neutral to me.

[Massdriver]

From the PDF of their study on eggs: 

Quote

 

Eggs: In dose-response meta-analyses, eggs have not been associated with a significant change in health for any of the five health outcomes examined here (21, 23, 24, 27) (Fig. 1). However, increasing egg consumption for individuals with pre-existing type II diabetes has been associated with a significant increase in risk of CHD mortality (51). Egg production has low to intermediate mean environmental impacts for all five environmental indicators examined here (Figs. 1–2 and Figs. S1–2 in the SI Appendix). With the exception of water use, the variation in the environmental impact per serving of eggs produced is small.

 

 

It looks like some of their justification for egg mortality may be in regard to evidence from egg intake and associations with cancer and elevated levels of morality for people with diabetes.

Eggs and cancer:

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26293984 -While our conclusion was tempered by the potential for publication bias and confounding, high egg intake may be associated with a modestly elevated risk of breast cancer, and a positive association between egg intake and ovarian and fatal prostate cancers cannot be ruled out.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8061589  Egg consumption and cancer of the colon and rectum.

 

It still seems pretty modest. 

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

Man, I eat a lot of eggs. I guess I should change that?

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Just finished two hard boiled eggs, my standard before going to work for a 12 hour night.

[marioandsonic]

I occasionally eat half a dozen eggs at a time, mixed together with cheese and with a side of bacon.

 

I'm going to die early, aren't I?

[SuperSpreader]

[Bacon]

When I eat eggs for dinner I either eat 4 scrambled or 8 egg whites. 

[johnny]

Everybody should be vegan. Healthier for you and the planet  

[Massdriver]

37 minutes ago, marioandsonic said:

I occasionally eat half a dozen eggs at a time, mixed together with cheese and with a side of bacon.

 

I'm going to die early, aren't I?

The bacon is the main issue with that. Cheese doesn’t seem as bad as people think. It’s probably too many eggs at a time too, but if it’s on occasional, no biggie. 
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10654-017-0243-1#Sec10

[Comet]

2 hours ago, marioandsonic said:

I occasionally eat half a dozen eggs at a time, mixed together with cheese and with a side of bacon.

 

I'm going to die early, aren't I?

Is your name Gaston?

[Joe]

4 hours ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

Man, I eat a lot of eggs. I guess I should change that?

 

I mean I don't know how sedentary you are, but probably not. Do you get regular bloodwork done every year?

[b_m_b_m_b_m]

35 minutes ago, Jose said:

 

I mean I don't know how sedentary you are, but probably not. Do you get regular bloodwork done every year?

Yeah, no issue with cholesterol or blood sugar

[Joe]

4 minutes ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

Yeah, no issue with cholesterol or blood sugar

 

Then no problem. I eat 3 eggs 5 days a week and my LDL and triglycerides are perfect. My lazy ass needs to up my HDL though. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, johnny said:

Everybody should be vegan. Healthier for you and the planet  

I’m not vegan, but I’ve cut back a ton of meat consumption due to issues with my kidneys and meat protein. On a lot of days I end up vegetarian, and after a short time I didn’t really miss meat at any meal I don’t have it.

[Joe]

3 hours ago, marioandsonic said:

I occasionally eat half a dozen eggs at a time, mixed together with cheese and with a side of bacon.

 

I'm going to die early, aren't I?

 

Probably not. Make sure to get a checkup every year homey.

[marioandsonic]

4 minutes ago, Jose said:

 

Probably not. Make sure to get a checkup every year homey.

I do.  Last time I checked, blood sugar and LDL were normal.  Losing weight helped that, I'm sure

[CastlevaniaNut18]

You fat fuckers with shitty diets yet perfect cholesterol suck. 
 

Nothing I did helped, I had to go on a statin. At least it’s low dose and my levels are perfect now, though. 

[Joe]

13 minutes ago, marioandsonic said:

I do.  Last time I checked, blood sugar and LDL were normal.  Losing weight helped that, I'm sure

 

Then you're good. Six is a little fucking crazy though bro. And this is coming from another recovering fatty lol.

[Massdriver]

21 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

You fat fuckers with shitty diets yet perfect cholesterol suck. 
 

Nothing I did helped, I had to go on a statin. At least it’s low dose and my levels are perfect now, though. 

You aren’t alone. I was on a statin in my early 20s when I ate poorly, but in my late twenties I got interested in  healthy  foods and exercise which allowed me to get off of it... until earlier this year I had high ldl. I will likely be back on a low dose statin soon. I eat better than all my co workers, and my brother can eat junk and his lipids are great. It’s just genetic I guess. 

[marioandsonic]

27 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

You fat fuckers with shitty diets yet perfect cholesterol suck. 
 

Nothing I did helped, I had to go on a statin. At least it’s low dose and my levels are perfect now, though. 

I've actually been on a statin for almost a decade now.  However, my dad is also on cholesterol medication, and his said of my family has a history of heart disease.  So maybe it's also hereditary?

 

I dunno.

[Joe]

Genetics and stress are huge. My dad eats so much fish and veggies and still has high cholesterol. He drinks a lot of wine with his food, though. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

1 minute ago, marioandsonic said:

I've actually been on a statin for almost a decade now.  However, my dad is also on cholesterol medication, and his said of my family has a history of heart disease.  So maybe it's also hereditary?

 

I dunno.

Oh, it’s definitely hereditary, that was my point lol. My father’s side all have diabetes and hypertension. I don’t have any of those issues but I inherited my hyperlipidemia from my little petite maternal grandmother. 

[stepee]

well now all I can think about is eating an entire platter of deviled eggs by myself, thanks jerks