A comprehensive analysis of three major US cohort studies has quantified the protective effects of plant-based nutrition with striking precision. The research demonstrates a 13 percent reduction in mortality risk among individuals with the highest adherence to healthful plant-based diets compared to those with the lowest adherence, evaluated across 28 years of follow-up. Notably, this protective benefit persisted even when participants’ diets included ultra-processed plant-based foods, with a hazard ratio of 0.87 for healthful plant-based diets. By contrast, unhealthful plant-based diets—characterized by high consumption of refined grains and sugary beverages—increased mortality risk by 8 percent, regardless of their processing level. These findings, published in The Lancet Regional Health, provide robust epidemiological evidence that dietary composition and nutritional quality are stronger determinants of health outcomes than food processing status.
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