Changes in Intake of Plant-Based Diets and Weight Change: Results From 3 Prospective Cohort Studies

Year Published: 2019

Journal

Am J Clin Nutr

Authors

Ambika Satija , Vasanti Malik, Eric B Rimm , Frank Sacks, Walter Willett, Frank B Hu

Methods

"The aim of this study was to examine associations of changes in intake of 3 variations of plant-based diet indices (overall, healthful, and unhealthful) with weight change over 4-y intervals spanning >20 y."

Key Findings

Key Findings: "Plant-based diets, especially when rich in healthier plant foods, [were] associated with less weight gain over 4-y intervals. This supports current recommendations to increase intake of healthy plant foods, and reducing intake of less-healthy plant foods and animal foods, for improved health outcomes." Specifially, increasing intake of whole grains, fruits/vegetables, nuts/legumes, vegetable oils, and tea/coffee was associated with 0.68 kg less weight gain over 4-year periods."