Sustainable diets may lead to fewer blood clots in brain
A study from the Department of Public Health showed that a sustainable diet not only benefited the climate but also your health.
The recent study by the Aarhus University was
published in the 'Stroke Journal'. "If adult men or women follow a
sustainable diet and the Nordic recommendations for dietary fibre
intake, then we see a lower risk of bleeding or blood clots in the
brain," said Christina Dahm, who is behind the study.
This
knowledge is important, as a previous study from the UK found that
vegetarians had a higher risk of brain hemorrhages compared with those
who ate meat. These findings received a lot of publicity.
"A
vegetarian diet is very similar to a sustainable diet, and since we
need to eat more sustainably in the future, it was a rather worrying
result. Our results show that it is safe to eat a sustainable diet,"
said Daniel Ibsen, who has also contributed to the study.
The
researchers used data from the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health
population study. A total of 57,053 adults aged 50 to 64 took part in
the study in the early 1990s and answered questions about their eating
habits and lifestyles.
In the following years,
researchers have been able to use the Danish registers to identify
participants who developed bleeding and blood clots in the brain. "The
food we eat has a crucial influence on our health but also affects our
climate and the environment. We need to eat more sustainably, but of
course, it's important that we also have a healthy diet," said Christina
Dahm.
According to Christina Dahm, the study
should be followed up in the context of today's Danish dietary habits,
which contained an increased amount of new sustainable foods such as oat
milk and plant-based meat alternatives, as well as studies that
examined more specifically how Danes can become better at complying with
climate-friendly dietary advice.
At the
beginning of the year, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries,
Denmark, and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration launched some
climate-friendly dietary recommendations that resembled sustainable
diets.
The recommendations will contribute to
achieving the Danish Climate Act's goal of reducing Denmark's greenhouse
gas emissions by 70 per cent in 2030, while at the same time boosting
public health. The seven official climate-friendly dietary guidelines:
1. Eat plant-rich, varied, and not too much.
2. Eat more vegetables and fruit.
3. Eat less meat - choose legumes and fish.
4. Eat whole grains.
5. Choose vegetable oils and low-fat dairy products.
6. Eat less of the sweet, salty, and fatty.
7. Quench your thirst with water.