Abstract
The adoption of healthy diets with low environmental impact has been widely promoted as an important climate change mitigation strategy. Typically, these diets are high in plant-sourced and low in animal-sourced and processed foods. Despite the fact that their environmental impacts vary, they are often referred to as ‘sustainable diets’. Here we systematically review the available published evidence on the effect of ‘sustainable diets’ on environmental footprints and human health. Eight databases (OvidSP-Medline, OvidSP-Embase, EBSCO-GreenFILE, Web of Science Core Collection, Scopus, OvidSP-CAB-s, OvidSP-AGRIS, and OvidSP-Global Health) were searched to identify literature (published 1999–2019) reporting health effects and environmental footprints of ‘sustainable diets’. Available evidence was mapped and pooled analysis was conducted by unique combinations of diet pattern, health and environmental outcome. Eighteen studies (412 measurements) met our inclusion criteria, distinguishing twelve non-mutually exclusive sustainable diet patterns, six environmental outcomes, and seven health outcomes. In 87% of measurements (n = 151) positive health outcomes were reported from ‘sustainable diets’ (average relative health improvement: 4.09% [95% CI −0.10–8.29]) when comparing ‘sustainable diets’ to current/baseline consumption patterns. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with ‘sustainable diets’ were on average 25.8%[95%CI −27.0 to −14.6] lower than current/baseline consumption patterns, with vegan diets reporting the largest reduction in GHG-emissions (−70.3% [95% CI: −90.2 to −50.4]), however, water use was frequently reported to be higher than current/baseline diets. Multiple benefits for both health and the environment were reported in the majority (n = 315[76%]) of measurements. We identified consistent evidence of both positive health effects and reduced environmental footprints accruing from ‘sustainable diets’. The notable exception of increased water use associated with ‘sustainable diets’ identifies that co-benefits are not universal and some trade-offs are likely. When carefully designed, evidence-based, and adapted to contextual factors, dietary change could play a pivotal role in climate change mitigation, sustainable food systems, and future population health.
Highlights
Major food system transformations are required as part of an integrated set of global actions to meet the Paris Agreement on climate [1] and multiple United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs), including those on hunger (SDG 2), health (SDG 3), responsible production and consumption (SDG 12) and climate action (SDG 13) [2]
This review aims to assess the multipleimpacts on the environment and health of several forms of ‘sustainable diets’ in order to support the design of evidence-based climate change mitigation policy
Eight sources of grey literature were explored—through websites, reports and data repositories of CGIAR, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), FOLU-Systemiq, United Nations Social Development Network (UNSDN), International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), World Resource Institute (WRI), Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)—to identify the need for an additional systematic search in grey literature
Summary
Major food system transformations are required as part of an integrated set of global actions to meet the Paris Agreement on climate [1] and multiple United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs), including those on hunger (SDG 2), health (SDG 3), responsible production and consumption (SDG 12) and climate action (SDG 13) [2]. Multiple recent reports have promoted the adoption of diets with low environmental impact (or diets through which people aspire to consume more sustainably) as an important climate change mitigation strategy. These diets are high in plant-sourced foods and low in animal-sourced and processed foods. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions of food systems, along with other actions including major efforts to minimize food loss and waste, are being widely promoted as likely to improve global health and potentially result in economic benefits [13, 14]. The relationship between food systems and climate change is bi-directional, and climate change is currently affecting yields of crops and livestock products and is projected to continue to do so in the future [15, 16]
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