Pathways to "5-a-day": modeling the health impacts and environmental footprints of meeting the target for fruit and vegetable intake in the United Kingdom
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Pathways to "5-a-day": modeling the health impacts and environmental footprints of meeting the target for fruit and vegetable intake in the United Kingdom. / Eustachio Colombo, Patricia; Milner, James; Scheelbeek, Pauline F D; Taylor, Anna; Parlesak, Alexandr; Kastner, Thomas; Nicholas, Owen; Elinder, Liselotte Schäfer; Dangour, Alan D; Green, Rosemary.
In: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 114, No. 2, 2021, p. 530-539.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Pathways to "5-a-day": modeling the health impacts and environmental footprints of meeting the target for fruit and vegetable intake in the United Kingdom
AU - Eustachio Colombo, Patricia
AU - Milner, James
AU - Scheelbeek, Pauline F D
AU - Taylor, Anna
AU - Parlesak, Alexandr
AU - Kastner, Thomas
AU - Nicholas, Owen
AU - Elinder, Liselotte Schäfer
AU - Dangour, Alan D
AU - Green, Rosemary
N1 - Funding Information: This study forms part of the Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems (SHEFS) project supported by the Wellcome Trust’s Our Planet Our Health program (grant 205200/Z/6/Z; RG, PFDS, ADD, ON, and AT). The contribution by PEC was funded by the Swedish Research Council FORMAS (grant 2016-00353) and KI Foundations and Funds (grants 2019-01721 and 2019-02016). JM was funded by theWellcome Trust project Complex Urban Systems for Sustainability and Health (CUSSH; grant 209387/Z/17/Z). The funders had no role in the study design, data analysis or writing, or the decision to submit for publication. All authors are independent from the funders and had full access to all data. All authors take responsibility for data integrity and accuracy of the analysis. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Background: Fruit and vegetable consumption in the United Kingdom is currently well below recommended levels, with a significant associated public health burden. The United Kingdom has committed to reducing its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, and this transition will require shifts towards plant-based diets. Objective: The aim was to quantify the health effects, environmental footprints, and cost associated with 4 different pathways to meeting the United Kingdom's "5-a-day"recommendation for fruit and vegetable consumption. Methods: Dietary data based on 18,006 food diaries from 4528 individuals participating in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2012/13-2016/17) constituted the baseline diet. Linear programming was used to model the hypothetical adoption of the 5-a-day (400 g) recommendation, which was assessed according to 4 pathways differing in their prioritization of fruits versus vegetables and UK-produced versus imported varieties. Increases in fruit and vegetable consumption were substituted for consumption of sweet snacks and meat, respectively. Changes in life expectancy were assessed using the IOMLIFET life table model. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs), blue water footprint (WF), and total diet cost were quantified for each 5-a-day diet. Results: Achieving the 5-a-day target in the United Kingdom could increase average life expectancy at birth by 7-8 mo and reduce diet-related GHGEs by 6.1 to 12.2 Mt carbon dioxide equivalents/y; blue WFs would change by -0.14 to +0.07 km3/y. Greater reductions in GHGEs were achieved by prioritizing increased vegetable consumption over fruit, whereas the greatest reduction in WF was obtained by prioritizing vegetable varieties produced in the United Kingdom. All consumption pathways increased diet cost (£0.34-£0.46/d). Conclusions: Benefits to both population and environmental health could be expected from consumption pathways that meet the United Kingdom's 5-a-day target for fruit and vegetables. Our analysis identifies cross-sectoral trade-offs and opportunities for national policy to promote fruit and vegetable consumption in the United Kingdom.
AB - Background: Fruit and vegetable consumption in the United Kingdom is currently well below recommended levels, with a significant associated public health burden. The United Kingdom has committed to reducing its carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, and this transition will require shifts towards plant-based diets. Objective: The aim was to quantify the health effects, environmental footprints, and cost associated with 4 different pathways to meeting the United Kingdom's "5-a-day"recommendation for fruit and vegetable consumption. Methods: Dietary data based on 18,006 food diaries from 4528 individuals participating in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (2012/13-2016/17) constituted the baseline diet. Linear programming was used to model the hypothetical adoption of the 5-a-day (400 g) recommendation, which was assessed according to 4 pathways differing in their prioritization of fruits versus vegetables and UK-produced versus imported varieties. Increases in fruit and vegetable consumption were substituted for consumption of sweet snacks and meat, respectively. Changes in life expectancy were assessed using the IOMLIFET life table model. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs), blue water footprint (WF), and total diet cost were quantified for each 5-a-day diet. Results: Achieving the 5-a-day target in the United Kingdom could increase average life expectancy at birth by 7-8 mo and reduce diet-related GHGEs by 6.1 to 12.2 Mt carbon dioxide equivalents/y; blue WFs would change by -0.14 to +0.07 km3/y. Greater reductions in GHGEs were achieved by prioritizing increased vegetable consumption over fruit, whereas the greatest reduction in WF was obtained by prioritizing vegetable varieties produced in the United Kingdom. All consumption pathways increased diet cost (£0.34-£0.46/d). Conclusions: Benefits to both population and environmental health could be expected from consumption pathways that meet the United Kingdom's 5-a-day target for fruit and vegetables. Our analysis identifies cross-sectoral trade-offs and opportunities for national policy to promote fruit and vegetable consumption in the United Kingdom.
KW - Diet cost
KW - Dietary patterns
KW - Health impact assessment
KW - Health promotion
KW - Nutrition
KW - Planetary health
U2 - 10.1093/ajcn/nqab076
DO - 10.1093/ajcn/nqab076
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 33871601
AN - SCOPUS:85112245912
VL - 114
SP - 530
EP - 539
JO - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
JF - American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
SN - 0002-9165
IS - 2
ER -
ID: 317457570