Overview

• Published September 16 in PLOS Medicine, the EPIC‑Norfolk analysis tracked dietary data from more than 23,000 U.K. adults at three timepoints across about 20 years.
• Participants with the highest adherence to the planetary health diet had a 32% lower incidence of type 2 diabetes compared with those with the lowest adherence.
• Diet-related greenhouse gas emissions were 18% lower for those in the top adherence group versus the bottom group.
• The planetary health diet, proposed by the EAT‑Lancet Commission in 2019, emphasizes wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds and limits red and processed meat and sugary drinks in a flexitarian pattern.
• Authors caution the findings do not prove causation and call for individual and policy actions to support plant-forward choices as diabetes rates climb and food systems drive substantial emissions.