Diet that saves from diabetes will also save the planet from ecological catastrophe

Scientists from the American Diabetes Association have discovered an unexpected bonus of the popular "planetary" diet: it not only helps save the planet from global warming but also noticeably reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A large-scale study presented at the Association's forum convincingly demonstrated that a well-structured diet can protect human health over the course of entire decades.

A total of 12,730 volunteers participated in a major scientific project studying atherosclerosis risk factors. In the late 1980s, when the experiment began, none of them had diabetes. The average age of the participants was 54 years. Throughout the study, scientists regularly assessed their nutrition using a special index reflecting the degree to which their diet conformed to EAT-Lancet standards. The essence of this planetary diet is an abundance of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts with strict limitations on meat and added sugar.

For more than 20 years, doctors continuously monitored the health of the volunteers. During this time, diabetes was diagnosed in 4,316 individuals — nearly 34% of all participants in the long-term experiment. In-depth analysis of the collected data revealed a striking pattern: those who more strictly followed the rules of the eco-friendly diet developed the disease 11% less often than the rest. Notably, this protective effect did not disappear even when accounting for differences in income, education level, and social status among participants.

The researchers also examined in detail which specific foods play a key role in protecting the pancreas. It turned out that regular consumption of legumes, nuts, potatoes, and dairy products noticeably reduces the likelihood of metabolic disorders. Conversely, the frequent presence of red meat, processed foods, poultry, and eggs in the diet increases disease incidence — even if the person otherwise tries to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The EAT-Lancet diet was created several years ago by an international commission of 37 scientists. Originally, the medical experts faced an ambitious goal — to develop a type of nutrition capable of feeding the growing global population by 2050 without destroying the planet's ecosystems. Agriculture, and the meat industry in particular, remains a powerful source of atmospheric pollution and depletion of water resources. Now it has become clear that this ecological approach also addresses purely medical challenges along the way.