Dietary quality and dietary greenhouse gas emissions in the USA: a comparison of the planetary health diet index, healthy eating index-2015, and dietary approaches to stop hypertension
Abstract Background The Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) measures adherence to the dietary pattern presented by the EAT-Lancet Commission, which aligns health and sustainability targets. There is a need to understand how PHDI scores correlate with dietary greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and how th...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2024-04-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-024-01581-y |
| _version_ | 1827291311050326016 |
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| author | Sarah M. Frank Lindsay M Jaacks Katie Meyer Donald Rose Linda S Adair Christy L Avery Lindsey Smith Taillie |
| author_facet | Sarah M. Frank Lindsay M Jaacks Katie Meyer Donald Rose Linda S Adair Christy L Avery Lindsey Smith Taillie |
| author_sort | Sarah M. Frank |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background The Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) measures adherence to the dietary pattern presented by the EAT-Lancet Commission, which aligns health and sustainability targets. There is a need to understand how PHDI scores correlate with dietary greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and how this differs from the carbon footprints of scores on established dietary recommendations. The objectives of this study were to compare how the PHDI, Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) relate to (a) dietary GHGE and (b) to examine the influence of PHDI food components on dietary GHGE. Methods We used life cycle assessment data from the Database of Food Recall Impacts on the Environment for Nutrition and Dietary Studies to calculate the mean dietary GHGE of 8,128 adult participants in the 2015–2016 and 2017–2018 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Poisson regression was used to estimate the association of (a) quintiles of diet score and (b) standardized dietary index Z-scores with dietary GHGE for PHDI, HEI-2015, and DASH scores. In secondary analyses, we used Poisson regression to assess the influence of individual PHDI component scores on dietary GHGE. Results We found that higher dietary quality on all three indices was correlated with lower dietary GHGE. The magnitude of the dietary quality-dietary GHGE relationship was larger for PHDI [-0.4, 95% CI (-0.5, -0.3) kg CO2 equivalents per one standard deviation change] and for DASH [-0.5, (-0.4, -0.6) kg CO2-equivalents] than for HEI-2015 [-0.2, (-0.2, -0.3) kg CO2-equivalents]. When examining PHDI component scores, we found that diet-related GHGE were driven largely by red and processed meat intake. Conclusions Improved dietary quality has the potential to lower the emissions impacts of US diets. Future efforts to promote healthy, sustainable diets could apply the recommendations of the established DASH guidelines as well as the new guidance provided by the PHDI to increase their environmental benefits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T12:34:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1b241bff00034a92845bafa9384b3f3c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1479-5868 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T12:34:45Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity |
| spelling | doaj.art-1b241bff00034a92845bafa9384b3f3c2024-04-07T11:31:19ZengBMCInternational Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity1479-58682024-04-0121111010.1186/s12966-024-01581-yDietary quality and dietary greenhouse gas emissions in the USA: a comparison of the planetary health diet index, healthy eating index-2015, and dietary approaches to stop hypertensionSarah M. Frank0Lindsay M Jaacks1Katie Meyer2Donald Rose3Linda S Adair4Christy L Avery5Lindsey Smith Taillie6Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems, Royal (DICK) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of EdinburghGlobal Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems, Royal (DICK) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of EdinburghDepartment of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillTulane Nutrition, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane UniversityCarolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillCarolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillCarolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillAbstract Background The Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI) measures adherence to the dietary pattern presented by the EAT-Lancet Commission, which aligns health and sustainability targets. There is a need to understand how PHDI scores correlate with dietary greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE) and how this differs from the carbon footprints of scores on established dietary recommendations. The objectives of this study were to compare how the PHDI, Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) relate to (a) dietary GHGE and (b) to examine the influence of PHDI food components on dietary GHGE. Methods We used life cycle assessment data from the Database of Food Recall Impacts on the Environment for Nutrition and Dietary Studies to calculate the mean dietary GHGE of 8,128 adult participants in the 2015–2016 and 2017–2018 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Poisson regression was used to estimate the association of (a) quintiles of diet score and (b) standardized dietary index Z-scores with dietary GHGE for PHDI, HEI-2015, and DASH scores. In secondary analyses, we used Poisson regression to assess the influence of individual PHDI component scores on dietary GHGE. Results We found that higher dietary quality on all three indices was correlated with lower dietary GHGE. The magnitude of the dietary quality-dietary GHGE relationship was larger for PHDI [-0.4, 95% CI (-0.5, -0.3) kg CO2 equivalents per one standard deviation change] and for DASH [-0.5, (-0.4, -0.6) kg CO2-equivalents] than for HEI-2015 [-0.2, (-0.2, -0.3) kg CO2-equivalents]. When examining PHDI component scores, we found that diet-related GHGE were driven largely by red and processed meat intake. Conclusions Improved dietary quality has the potential to lower the emissions impacts of US diets. Future efforts to promote healthy, sustainable diets could apply the recommendations of the established DASH guidelines as well as the new guidance provided by the PHDI to increase their environmental benefits.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-024-01581-yEAT-Lancet CommissionDietary patternsPlanetary Health DietHealthy eating indexDietary approaches to stop hypertensionDietary greenhouse gas emissions |
| spellingShingle | Sarah M. Frank Lindsay M Jaacks Katie Meyer Donald Rose Linda S Adair Christy L Avery Lindsey Smith Taillie Dietary quality and dietary greenhouse gas emissions in the USA: a comparison of the planetary health diet index, healthy eating index-2015, and dietary approaches to stop hypertension International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity EAT-Lancet Commission Dietary patterns Planetary Health Diet Healthy eating index Dietary approaches to stop hypertension Dietary greenhouse gas emissions |
| title | Dietary quality and dietary greenhouse gas emissions in the USA: a comparison of the planetary health diet index, healthy eating index-2015, and dietary approaches to stop hypertension |
| title_full | Dietary quality and dietary greenhouse gas emissions in the USA: a comparison of the planetary health diet index, healthy eating index-2015, and dietary approaches to stop hypertension |
| title_fullStr | Dietary quality and dietary greenhouse gas emissions in the USA: a comparison of the planetary health diet index, healthy eating index-2015, and dietary approaches to stop hypertension |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dietary quality and dietary greenhouse gas emissions in the USA: a comparison of the planetary health diet index, healthy eating index-2015, and dietary approaches to stop hypertension |
| title_short | Dietary quality and dietary greenhouse gas emissions in the USA: a comparison of the planetary health diet index, healthy eating index-2015, and dietary approaches to stop hypertension |
| title_sort | dietary quality and dietary greenhouse gas emissions in the usa a comparison of the planetary health diet index healthy eating index 2015 and dietary approaches to stop hypertension |
| topic | EAT-Lancet Commission Dietary patterns Planetary Health Diet Healthy eating index Dietary approaches to stop hypertension Dietary greenhouse gas emissions |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-024-01581-y |
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