Greater adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is associated with lower diet-related greenhouse gas emissions but higher costs
IntroductionFew studies have evaluated the sustainability of popular diet patterns in the US, which limits policy action and impedes consumer efficacy to make sustainable dietary changes. This study filled this gap by evaluating the relationship between diet quality, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE),...
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| Format: | Article |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Nutrition |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1220016/full |
| _version_ | 1797756448354074624 |
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| author | Zach Conrad Zach Conrad Adam Drewnowski David C. Love David C. Love |
| author_facet | Zach Conrad Zach Conrad Adam Drewnowski David C. Love David C. Love |
| author_sort | Zach Conrad |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionFew studies have evaluated the sustainability of popular diet patterns in the US, which limits policy action and impedes consumer efficacy to make sustainable dietary changes. This study filled this gap by evaluating the relationship between diet quality, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), and diet cost for plant-based, restricted carbohydrate, low grain, low fat, and time restricted diet patterns.MethodsDietary data were retrieved from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011–2018, n = 8,146) and linked with data on GHGE and food prices from publicly available databases. Diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Index-2015. The present study (1) compared the mean diet quality, GHGE, and diet cost between diet patterns, (2) evaluated the association of diet quality to GHGE and diet cost for each diet pattern, and (3) estimated the contribution of food sources to GHGE and diet cost for each diet pattern.ResultsHigher diet quality was associated with lower GHGE for the general population and for most diet patterns (p < 0.01) except for the plant-based and time restricted diet patterns (p > 0.05). Higher diet quality was associated with higher cost for the general population and for all dietary patterns (p < 0.01) except the time restricted diet pattern (p > 0.05). Protein foods, mostly beef, accounted for the largest share of GHGE (29–40%) and diet cost (28–47%) for all diet patterns except plant-based.DiscussionHigher diet quality was associated with lower GHGE but was often accompanied by higher diet cost. These sustainability trade-offs can help inform major policy discussions in the US and shed light on further research needs in the area of food systems transformation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T18:01:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9360ff44bb1f4fec9edfa1756269e623 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-861X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T18:01:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj.art-9360ff44bb1f4fec9edfa1756269e6232023-08-02T10:05:52ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Nutrition2296-861X2023-08-011010.3389/fnut.2023.12200161220016Greater adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is associated with lower diet-related greenhouse gas emissions but higher costsZach Conrad0Zach Conrad1Adam Drewnowski2David C. Love3David C. Love4Department of Kinesiology, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, United StatesGlobal Research Institute, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA, United StatesCenter for Public Health Nutrition, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United StatesDepartment of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United StatesCenter for a Livable Future, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United StatesIntroductionFew studies have evaluated the sustainability of popular diet patterns in the US, which limits policy action and impedes consumer efficacy to make sustainable dietary changes. This study filled this gap by evaluating the relationship between diet quality, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), and diet cost for plant-based, restricted carbohydrate, low grain, low fat, and time restricted diet patterns.MethodsDietary data were retrieved from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011–2018, n = 8,146) and linked with data on GHGE and food prices from publicly available databases. Diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Index-2015. The present study (1) compared the mean diet quality, GHGE, and diet cost between diet patterns, (2) evaluated the association of diet quality to GHGE and diet cost for each diet pattern, and (3) estimated the contribution of food sources to GHGE and diet cost for each diet pattern.ResultsHigher diet quality was associated with lower GHGE for the general population and for most diet patterns (p < 0.01) except for the plant-based and time restricted diet patterns (p > 0.05). Higher diet quality was associated with higher cost for the general population and for all dietary patterns (p < 0.01) except the time restricted diet pattern (p > 0.05). Protein foods, mostly beef, accounted for the largest share of GHGE (29–40%) and diet cost (28–47%) for all diet patterns except plant-based.DiscussionHigher diet quality was associated with lower GHGE but was often accompanied by higher diet cost. These sustainability trade-offs can help inform major policy discussions in the US and shed light on further research needs in the area of food systems transformation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1220016/fullNHANESDietary Guidelines for AmericansHealthy Eating Indexpopular dietsustainabilitygreenhouse gas |
| spellingShingle | Zach Conrad Zach Conrad Adam Drewnowski David C. Love David C. Love Greater adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is associated with lower diet-related greenhouse gas emissions but higher costs Frontiers in Nutrition NHANES Dietary Guidelines for Americans Healthy Eating Index popular diet sustainability greenhouse gas |
| title | Greater adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is associated with lower diet-related greenhouse gas emissions but higher costs |
| title_full | Greater adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is associated with lower diet-related greenhouse gas emissions but higher costs |
| title_fullStr | Greater adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is associated with lower diet-related greenhouse gas emissions but higher costs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Greater adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is associated with lower diet-related greenhouse gas emissions but higher costs |
| title_short | Greater adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans is associated with lower diet-related greenhouse gas emissions but higher costs |
| title_sort | greater adherence to the dietary guidelines for americans is associated with lower diet related greenhouse gas emissions but higher costs |
| topic | NHANES Dietary Guidelines for Americans Healthy Eating Index popular diet sustainability greenhouse gas |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1220016/full |
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