In a recent study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment , researchers investigated the environmental impact of a Mediterranean diet with reduced energy intake over one year in participants with metabolic syndrome. Their results indicate that the intervention was linked to significant reductions in acidification, eutrophication, and land use, with diet adherence and caloric reduction playing key roles in mediating these environmental benefits. Study: Effect of a nutritional intervention based on an energy-reduced Mediterranean diet on environmental impact .
Image Credit: leonori / Shutterstock Climate change poses severe threats to public health, including rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns, increased droughts, intensified heat waves, and heightened transmission of diseases like dengue and malaria. It also impacts agriculture and livestock, reducing food quantity and quality. With the global population expected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, the need for food will escalate, intensifying the environmental impact of food systems, which are significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication, acidification, freshwater use, and biodiversity loss.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization defines sustainable diets as crucial for mitigating these impacts by promoting nutrition and food security while minimizing environmental damage. Previous research indicates that diets lower in animal products and higher in plan.
