Researchers from Harvard University have ranked four leading diets that may help you live longer – Daily Mail
With a sea of conflicting information online, it can be hard to pick which diet is best for your health nowadays.
But researchers from Harvard University have ranked four leading diets based on how effective they are at lowering the risk of early death.
Look away now, vegans — a balanced diet is better for longevity than cutting out animal products entirely.
Researchers found that a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, meat and dairy is more effective than the vegan diet at reducing a person’s risk of death (file photo)
Previous research has found that a plant-based diet comes with some risks, such as hair loss and an increased risk of suffering a stroke.
All four diets looked at put an emphasis on eating more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes.
The Healthy Eating Index, which tracks whether people follow basic US nutritional guidelines, stress healthy, plant-based foods, frown on red and processed meat, and discourage eating added sugar, unhealthy fats and alcohol.
People who scored high by this metric had a 19 percent lower risk of dying from any cause.
Scoring high on the Alternate Healthy Eating Index – a more refined version of the index developed by Harvard – was found to cut the risk by 20 percent.
Meanwhile, people who followed a Mediterranean diet – which includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes and fish instead of animal meat – reduced the risk by 18 percent. Going vegan was found to drop the mortality risk by 14 percent
The latest results are based on survey data from more than 100,000 men and women who were followed for 36 years.
Participants were asked to fill out a dietary questionnaire every two to four years which showed whether they were following healthy eating patterns such as the Mediterranean diet or eating plant-based foods.
They were also scored using the US Healthy Eating Index and the Alternate Healthy Eating Index, both of which give scores based on how often a person eats healthy and unhealthy foods.
Each diet graded by researchers was found to have a positive effect, reducing the chance of early death by between 14 to 20 percent.
People who stuck to the various healthy eating patterns also had a lower risk of dying from cancer, heart attacks, stroke or respiratory diseases.
‘[These dietary standards] are intended to provide science-based dietary advice that promotes good health …….