Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42540154›Full record

ArticleBMJ nutrition, prevention & health2026

Environmental footprint of a low-fat vegan diet and Mediterranean diet: a secondary analysis of a randomised clinical trial.

Arathi Jayaraman, Brighid McKay, Laura Chiavaroli, Songhee Back, Ilana Fischer, Reagan Smith, Richard Holubkov, Neal D Barnard, Hana Kahleova

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ nutrition, prevention & health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03698955 (A Randomized, Cross-Over Trial on the Effects of a Low-Fat Vegan Diet Versus a Mediterranean Diet on Body Weight), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT03698955 nacompletednot on this map

A Randomized, Cross-Over Trial on the Effects of a Low-Fat Vegan Diet Versus a Mediterranean Diet on Body Weight

TypeinterventionalSponsorPhysicians Committee for Responsible MedicineRan2018 to 2019Enrolled62ConditionsOverweight, Obesity, Insulin ResistanceArmsPlant-based diet, Mediterranean Diet
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Arathi JayaramanPhysicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7717-455X
Brighid McKayDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Laura ChiavaroliDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Songhee BackDepartment of Nutritional Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Ilana FischerPhysicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0008-4401-7070
Reagan SmithPhysicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Richard HolubkovSchool of Medicine, The University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Neal D BarnardPhysicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.
Hana KahleovaPhysicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0491-3993

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Plant-based foods, compared with animal-based foods, have a smaller environmental impact. Objective: This secondary analysis used a randomised, crossover trial to calculate and compare the environmental impact of two plant-forward diets: low-fat vegan and Mediterranean. Methods: 62 overweight adults were randomly assigned to a low-fat vegan or Mediterranean diet for 16-week periods, separated by a 4-week washout. 3-day dietary records were analysed, and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) and cumulative energy demand (CED) were calculated for completers of the study. The calculated GHGEs and CED relationship to changes in body weight were analysed. Results: Total calculated GHGEs and CED were reduced on the low-fat vegan diet by 57%, or by -1451.7 g CO Conclusion: Collectively, a low-fat vegan diet demonstrated statistically significant reductions in GHGEs, CED and weight loss compared with the non-plant-forward and Mediterranean diets, suggesting that a low-fat vegan diet can improve both human and planetary health. Trial registration number: NCT03698955.

Indexed as

AgricultureDietary patternsWeight management

Identifiers

PMID42540154
PMCPMC13425112

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Registered trials

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.