Plant-based diets have become popular for their health and environmental benefits. 

However, these benefits may vary based on the quality of the plant foods and other foods that make up the diet. A recent study at VUMC analyzed the association of plant-based diet patterns with mortality in over 77,000 mostly Black and low-income participants in the Southern Community Cohort Study, which started in 2002.  

Dietary intakes were assessed using a validated, 89-item food frequency questionnaire. The investigators generated three measures to assess the association of diet and risk of premature death: an overall plant-based diet index (PDI) that included both healthy plant foods (such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables) and unhealthy plant foods (such as fruit juices, refined grains and potatoes); a healthy plant-based diet index (hPDI); and an unhealthy plant-based diet index (uPDI).  

The study follow-up was through 2022 with a median duration of almost 17 years. The investigators identified over 26,000 deaths during the duration of the study. The highest PDI and hPDI scores were associated with reduced mortality; while the highest uPDI scores were associated with elevated mortality. 

The findings were reported in the The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a journal of the American Society for Nutrition. They show a strong association between high quality plant-based diets and reduced mortality rate among low-income populations, suggesting that efforts to promote diets high in healthy plant foods and low in animal foods could improve health outcomes. 

Wei Zheng, MD, PhD, MPH, the Anne Potter Wilson Professor of Medicine and director of the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center, is the corresponding author of the study. Fangcheng Yuan, a graduate student in the PhD Program in Epidemiology, is the first author. 

This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (grant U01CA202979).

Guillermo Sanchez, PhD, is a staff scientist in the lab of Nick Zachos, PhD, associate professor of Surgery and Cell and Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University.

The post Healthy plant-based diets reduce risk of death in long-term VUMC study appeared first on VUMC News.