Dietary climate impact correlates ambiguously with health biomarkers- a randomised controlled trial in healthy Finnish adults
Abstract
Purpose: A transition to more plant-rich diets is an effective way to reduce the climate impact of a diet. Using a whole-diet approach, we studied how partial replacement of animal-sourced with plant-sourced proteins affected the dietary climate impact while simultaneously considering diet-related health biomarkers.
Methods: In a 12-week randomised controlled trial, 107 women and 29 men were assigned into three diet groups (ANIMAL, 50/50, PLANT) with animal-to-plant-protein ratios of 70/30, 50/50, and 30/70, respectively. Life-cycle-assessment-based coefficients for foods were used to assess the climate impact of the diet groups, based on four-day food records. Correlations between climate impact and biomarkers were assessed.
Results: The climate impact (CO2 eq.) for PLANT was 3.32 kg per day, 3.05 kg per 2,000 kcal, and 0.04 kg per gram of protein, for 50/50 4.34, 4.20, and 0.05 kg, and for ANIMAL 4.93, 4.94, and 0.06 kg, respectively (p < 0.05 for all except ANIMAL vs. 50/50 /g protein and /2,000 kcal). Climate impact correlated weakly positively with colorectal cancer risk markers and a positive status of bone turnover, but not with cardiometabolic risk markers. Animal-based iron intake and climate impact (per 2,000 kcal) had a strong positive correlation 0.70 C.I. [0.60, 0.77], while saturated fat (0.29 [0.13, 0.44]) and calcium (0.37, [0.22, 0.51]) intake had a weak positive correlation, and fibre intake (- 0.37, [- 0.51, - 0.21]) a weak negative correlation with…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 107 participants or records.
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