The Role of Ultra-Processed Foods in Plant-Based Diets: Associations with Human Health and Environmental Sustainability †
by
, , ,
Merel C. Daas
1,*
,
Reina E. Vellinga
1,2,
Maria Gabriela M. Pinho
3,
Jolanda M. A. Boer
2,
W. M. Monique Verschuren
2,4,
Yvonne T. van der Schouw
4,
Pieter van ‘t Veer
1 and
Sander Biesbroek
1 1
Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University & Research, 6708 WE Wageningen, The Netherlands
2
Centre for Nutrition Prevention and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), 3721 MA Bilthoven, The Netherlands
3
Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
4
Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023, Belgrade, Serbia, 14–17 November 2023.
Proceedings 2023, 91(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091009
Published: 13 November 2023
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 14th European Nutrition Conference FENS 2023)
Abstract
:Background: The growing consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) among vegetarians and vegans may occur at the expense of the health and environmental benefits of plant-based diets. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the associations of UPFs in plant-based diets with all-cause mortality and environmental impact. Methods: Analyses were based on 35,030 participants (20–70 years; 74% females) from the EPIC-NL cohort who were followed up from 1993 to 1997 through 2014. The Plant-Based Diet Index (PDI) and UPF consumption (g/2000 kcal) were calculated using a validated FFQ. Based on a median split of the PDI and UPF consumption, four dietary categories were created (e.g., high PDI score/low UPF consumption). Cox proportional hazard and multiple linear regression models were used to estimate associations with all-cause mortality risk, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and blue water consumption. Results: Among diets high in plant-based foods, higher UPF consumption tended to be associated with a 5% (HR: 1.05, CI: 0.95, 1.16) increased all-cause mortality risk and was statistically significantly associated with 1.3% (95% CI: 0.7, 1.9) higher GHG emissions and a 2.5% (95% CI: −3.1, −1.3) lower blue water consumption compared to lower UPF consumption. Diets lower in plant-based foods were associated with a 15% (HR: 1.15, CI: 1.05, 1.26) and 24% (HR: 1.24, CI: 1.13, 1.36) increased mortality risk, 11.7% (95% CI: 11.4, 12.3) and 12.5% (95% CI: 11.9, 13.0) higher GHG emissions, and 8.8% (95% CI: −9.4, −8.2) and 11.3% (95% CI: −12.6, −10.7) lower blue water consumption for low and high UPF consumers, respectively, compared with diets high in plant-based foods and low in UPF. Discussion: UPF consumption did not counteract the health and (reduced) environmental impacts of adhering to a more plant-based diet, although special concern needs to be given to the high blue water consumption of specific plant foods. Future research should clarify whether this also holds for current settings in which populations consume higher amounts and different types of (plant-based) UPFs.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization: M.C.D., R.E.V. and S.B.; Methodology: M.C.D., R.E.V., M.G.M.P. and S.B.; Formal analysis: M.C.D.; Investigation: M.C.D., R.E.V. and S.B. Writing—original draft: M.C.D.; Writing—review and editing: M.C.D., R.E.V., M.G.M.P., J.M.A.B., W.M.M.V., Y.T.v.d.S., P.v.‘t.V. and S.B.; Project administration EPIC-NL: J.M.A.B., W.M.M.V. and Y.T.v.d.S. Supervision: R.E.V. and S.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
The EPIC-NL cohort was funded by the European Commission in the scope of the ‘Europe against Cancer’ Programme (DG SANCO); by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports (VWS); by the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMW); and by the World Cancer Research Fund.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University Medical Center Utrecht and the Medical Ethical Committee of TNO Nutrition and Food Research.
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
Internal rules apply to the use of EPIC-NL data. Requests to work with the data are dependent on approval and should be sent to the cohort staff.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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MDPI and ACS Style
Daas, M.C.; Vellinga, R.E.; Pinho, M.G.M.; Boer, J.M.A.; Verschuren, W.M.M.; van der Schouw, Y.T.; van ‘t Veer, P.; Biesbroek, S. The Role of Ultra-Processed Foods in Plant-Based Diets: Associations with Human Health and Environmental Sustainability. Proceedings 2023, 91, 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091009
AMA Style
Daas MC, Vellinga RE, Pinho MGM, Boer JMA, Verschuren WMM, van der Schouw YT, van ‘t Veer P, Biesbroek S. The Role of Ultra-Processed Foods in Plant-Based Diets: Associations with Human Health and Environmental Sustainability. Proceedings. 2023; 91(1):9. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091009
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaas, Merel C., Reina E. Vellinga, Maria Gabriela M. Pinho, Jolanda M. A. Boer, W. M. Monique Verschuren, Yvonne T. van der Schouw, Pieter van ‘t Veer, and Sander Biesbroek. 2023. "The Role of Ultra-Processed Foods in Plant-Based Diets: Associations with Human Health and Environmental Sustainability" Proceedings 91, no. 1: 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2023091009
