Healthy and sustainable dietary patterns for prevention of chronic diseases and premature death

The global obesity and diet-related chronic disease epidemics as well as the food production system’s environmental impacts are serious threats to human and planetary health that will continue to increase if no action is taken. Fortunately, dietary modifications can improve population health and sustainability simultaneously. Healthy dietary patterns (generally higher in plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and nuts) can reduce risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and are more sustainable than animal-based dietary patterns. Compared to plant-based foods, components of animal-based diets such as red and processed meat not only have a larger environmental impact but also have been associated with increased risk of chronic diseases and premature death. To alleviate the growing diet-related disease epidemics and future environmental crises and to shift populations towards dietary patterns higher in healthy plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods, global interventions and policy changes are crucial.