The Environmental Sustainability of Plant-Based Dietary Patterns: A Scoping Review

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition Vol. 153; no. 3; pp. 857 - 869
• Main Authors: Carey, Cassandra N., Paquette, Melanie, Sahye-Pudaruth, Sandhya, Dadvar, Abolfazl, Dinh, Dorothy, Khodabandehlou, Khosrow, Liang, Fred, Mishra, Ekta, Sidhu, Mandeep, Brown, Ramon, Tandon, Shilpa, Wanyan, Jessica, Bazinet, Richard P., Hanley, Anthony J., Malik, Vasanti, Sievenpiper, John L., Jenkins, David JA
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.03.2023; American Institute of Nutrition
• Subjects: Biodiversity; Biodiversity loss; Climate change; Diet; dietary patterns; Dietary sustainability; Emissions; Energy consumption; energy use; Environment; Environmental impact; environmental impacts; Environmental studies; Feeding Behavior; Food plants; greenhouse gas emission; Greenhouse gases; Health risks; Hogs; Humans; Land use; plant-based diets; Plant-based foods; Plants; Sustainability; Synthesis; Vegetarianism; water use; greenhouse gas emission; AD; plant-based diets; LLD; dietary patterns; GHG; environmental impacts; LCA; FR; land use; energy use; Dietary sustainability; ND; MD; biodiversity loss; water use; GHGE
• ISSN: 0022-3166; 1541-6100
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.02.001

A large part of the existential threat associated with climate change is the result of current human feeding patterns. Over the last decade, research evaluating the diet-related environmental impacts of plant-based diets has emerged, and a synthesis of the available data is now due. The objectives of the study were as follows: 1) to compile and summarize the literature on diet-related environmental impacts of plant-based dietary patterns; 2) to assess the nature of the data on impacts of plant-based dietary patterns on both environmental parameters and health (e.g., if land use is reduced for a particular diet, is cancer risk also reduced?); and 3) to determine where sufficient data exist for meta-analyses, in addition to identifying gaps within the literature. Global peer-reviewed studies on the environmental impacts of plant-based diets were searched in Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science. After removing duplicates, the screening identified 1553 records. After 2 stages of independent review by 2 reviewers, 65 records met the inclusion criteria and were eligible to be used in synthesis. Evidence suggests that plant-based diets may offer lower greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs), land use, and biodiversity loss than offered by standard diets; however, the impact on water and energy use may depend on the types of plant-based foods consumed. Further, the studies were consistent in demonstrating that plant-based dietary patterns that reduce diet-related mortality also promote environmental sustainability. Overall, there was agreement across the studies regarding the impact of plant-based dietary patterns on GHGE, land used, and biodiversity loss despite varied plant-based diets assessed.