Partial substitutions of animal with plant protein foods in Canadian diets have synergies and trade-offs among nutrition, health and climate outcomes (2024 Feb)

Auclair, O., Eustachio Colombo, P., Milner, J. et al. Partial substitutions of animal with plant protein foods in Canadian diets have synergies and trade-offs among nutrition, health and climate outcomes. Nat Food (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-024-00925-y (Paywall)

The study was published in Nature Food in February 2024 and was conducted by researchers at McGill University and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. It analyzed the impacts of partially replacing red and processed meat or dairy with plant protein foods in Canadian diets on nutrition, health and climate outcomes.

Key findings include:

  • Replacing 50% of red and processed meat with plant proteins could reduce diet-related greenhouse gas emissions by 25% and increase life expectancy by up to 8.7 months
  • Replacing 50% of dairy with plant proteins had smaller benefits, reducing emissions by only 5% and increasing life expectancy by 7.6 months
  • Replacing dairy increased calcium inadequacy by up to 14%

Abstract

Dietary guidelines emphasize the consumption of plant protein foods, but the implications of replacing animal with plant sources on a combination of diet sustainability dimensions are unknown.

Using a combination of data from a national nutrition survey, greenhouse gas emissions from dataFIELD and relative risks from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, we assess the impact of partially substituting red and processed meat or dairy with plant protein foods in Canadian self-selected diets on nutrition, health and climate outcomes.

The study provides evidence that partially substituting animal with plant proteins, especially red meat, can have synergistic benefits for human and planetary health in Canada.

The substitutions induced minor changes to the percentage of the population below requirements for nutrients of concern, but increased calcium inadequacy by up to 14% when dairy was replaced. Replacing red and processed meat or dairy increased life expectancy by up to 8.7 months or 7.6 months, respectively. Diet-related greenhouse gas emissions decreased by up to 25% for red and processed meat and by up to 5% for dairy replacements.

Co-benefits of partially substituting red and processed meat with plant protein foods among nutrition, health and climate outcomes are relevant for reshaping consumer food choices in addressing human and planetary health.

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