Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40956993›Full record

ArticlePLoS medicine2025

The association of the planetary health diet with type 2 diabetes incidence and greenhouse gas emissions: Findings from the EPIC-Norfolk prospective cohort study.

Solomon A Sowah, Fumiaki Imamura, Daniel B Ibsen, Pablo Monsivais, Nicholas J Wareham, Nita G Forouhi

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Article in PLoS medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

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3citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Solomon A SowahMedical Research Council Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6183-9614
Fumiaki ImamuraMedical Research Council Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6841-8396
Daniel B IbsenMedical Research Council Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7038-4770
Pablo MonsivaisDepartment of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, Washington, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7088-6674
Nicholas J WarehamMedical Research Council Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Nita G ForouhiMedical Research Council Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5041-248X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe planetary health diet (PHD) has been proposed as a dietary index with potential co-benefits for human and planetary health. Evidence is limited on its association with type 2 diabetes (T2D) incidence and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Our objective was to assess the associations of adherence to the PHD with incident T2D and GHG emissions. METHODS AND

findingsWe analysed data from 23,722 participants (55% female), with a mean (standard deviation, SD) age of 59.1 (9.3) in the UK-based EPIC-Norfolk prospective cohort study. Dietary intake was assessed across three time points (1993-1997, 1998-2000 and 2004-2011) using a food frequency questionnaire. We assessed adherence to the PHD (theoretical score range 0-140 points) based on the consumption of 13 food groups and two nutrients. Cox proportional hazards regression models, which accounted for time-varying covariates, were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for T2D. Linear regression models were used to analyse the association between the PHD and estimated GHG emissions. During a mean follow-up period of 19.4 (SD 6.8) years, 3,496 cases of incident T2D were recorded over 461,086 person-years. Greater adherence to the PHD was associated with lower T2D incidence; comparing the highest PHD quintile (85.7-117.8 points) to the lowest (33.9-68.4 points), the HR (95% CI) was 0.68 (0.61, 0.76) in the most adjusted model including socio-demographic, behavioural factors, energy intake, adiposity, and prevalent cardiovascular disease or cancer. The estimated population attributable fraction (PAF) for incident T2D due to adherence below the 80th percentile (85.7 points) was 12.3% (95% CI: 9.2%, 15.3%). Those in the highest quintile of the PHD had approximately 18% lower GHG emissions compared to those in the lowest (β5th/1st -18.4% (95% CI: -19.3%, -17.5%)). The main limitation of this research is the possibility of residual confounding due to the observational design of this study.

conclusionsOur findings of a lower incidence of T2D and reduced GHG emissions among those with higher adherence to the PHD support the promotion of this diet for the population-level prevention of T2D and for planetary sustainability.

Indexed as

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2Diet, HealthyGreenhouse GasesAgedFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedProspective StudiesUnited KingdomGreenhouse Gases

Identifiers

PMID40956993
PMCPMC12440362

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.