A landmark prospective study of over 126,000 health professionals has delivered compelling evidence that the nutritional quality of plant-based diets matters far more than their processing level in preventing chronic disease and premature death. Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and collaborating institutions tracked participants from 1988 to 2016, documenting 30,948 deaths and finding that adherence to healthful plant-based diets reduced mortality risk by 13 percent. The findings, published in The Lancet Regional Health, challenge prevailing assumptions about ultra-processed foods by demonstrating that even plant-based diets containing processed items confer significant protective benefits when nutritionally sound. In contrast, unhealthful plant-based diets high in refined grains and sugary beverages increased health risks regardless of processing status. These results suggest that dietary guidelines should prioritize food quality and nutritional composition over processing classification alone.
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