Body weight and waistlines benefit from a shift towards a more plant-based diet

2018 Alpro Foundation Award for best scientific publication

Dr Zhangling Chen, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands

The findings from this large Rotterdam Study by the 2018 Alpro Foundation Award Winner Dr Chen, concludes that individuals with a higher adherence to a plant-based diet, are associated with a lower BMI, waist circumference and body fat percentage. Of important note is that these beneficial effects were achieved without having to exclude meat and dairy from the diet, but instead increase the quantity and quality of plant foods whilst moderating animal food intakes.

Over 9,000 Dutch participants with an average age of 64 years were assessed regarding their dietary habits and adiposity. Body weight and various anthropometric adiposity measures were taken at several intervals throughout the study.

Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ) at baseline were used to assess baseline dietary intakes and converted to a plant-based diet index (PDI). Foods were classified as plant-based or animal based and divided into quintile groups according the quantity consumed and allocated a score.

The higher the PDI score the higher the proportion of plant-based foods in the diet.

Key findings

At 7-year follow-up, participants with the highest adherence to a plant-based diet (highest quintile PDI scores) had significantly lower body weight and adiposity.

Compared to participants with the lowest PDI scores, these individuals had:

• Lower BMI (-1.3 kg/m2)

• Smaller waist circumference (- 4.1 cm)

• Lower body fat percentage (-2.9 percentage points)

It is important to note that participants with higher PDI scores were generally older, more educated, more physically active and less likely to smoke which should be taken into consideration when interpreting the data.

"A beneficial plant-based diet for improvement of adiposity does not require a total elimination of animal-derived products, but instead can be achieved by a moderate increase in plant-based foods and moderate decrease in animal-based foods."

Dr Zhangling Chen

Conclusion

The authors highlight that the benefits of a plant-based diet were achieved without the need to remove animal-derived foods from the diet altogether. The participants with the highest PDI scores were not strictly vegetarians or vegans, and consumed animal products be it in smaller quantities. For example, a median consumption of 81.6g red meat per day and 64.3g milk and yogurt.

Importantly, groups with higher PDI scores also consumed more healthful plant products, such as legumes, nuts and whole grains. The health benefits of adhering to a plant-based diet were therefore attributed to the higher nutritional quality of plant-based foods. For example, plant-based foods are a source of antioxidants, poly-unsaturated fats and fiber which are known to be beneficial in terms of body weight and adiposity.

What does this mean for public health?

This is a large cohort study adding to the current growing evidence for the significant health benefits of plant-based diets. Obesity is the number one global burden currently affecting both developed and developing countries. Additionally, obesity exists alongside a growing prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies. Healthful plant-based diets, can not only help reduce the prevalence of obesity, but can also help to improve micronutrient status.

This study also highlights that improved health outcomes can be achieved without having to avoid animal foods altogether, but the key is to adopt a diet that is predominantly based on healthful plant foods which reflects many national food-based dietary guidelines.

Read the orignal research.

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