Jul 29, 2025 09:39 PM
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1092923
INTRO: People in the UK eat a median of eight different plants a day – including spices and fat-based oils – with some eating just two daily.
The study by researchers from King’s College London found that eating a more diverse range of plant-based foods is associated with better cardiometabolic health outcomes, including improved cholesterol levels, blood sugar markers, better overall diet quality and higher intakes of key nutrients, including fibre, vitamins, and minerals.
While the role of diet in preventing and managing conditions like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes is well established, this study is the first of its kind to examine how many and which types of plant foods people in the UK consume, and how this diversity relates to cardiometabolic health markers which are important indicators of cardiovascular diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Dr Eirini Dimidi, Senior Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London and senior author of the study, said: “Current dietary guidance in the UK often emphasises quantity, such as ‘5-a-day’ for fruit and vegetables. Our findings suggest that dietary variety, across all plant-based food groups, may be just as important for improving diet quality and lowering the risk of cardiometabolic diseases.”
The research, published in Clinical Nutrition, analysed data on over 670 adults from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) from 2016–2017. 97% of adults included followed an omnivorous diet... (MORE - details, no ads)
INTRO: People in the UK eat a median of eight different plants a day – including spices and fat-based oils – with some eating just two daily.
The study by researchers from King’s College London found that eating a more diverse range of plant-based foods is associated with better cardiometabolic health outcomes, including improved cholesterol levels, blood sugar markers, better overall diet quality and higher intakes of key nutrients, including fibre, vitamins, and minerals.
While the role of diet in preventing and managing conditions like cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes is well established, this study is the first of its kind to examine how many and which types of plant foods people in the UK consume, and how this diversity relates to cardiometabolic health markers which are important indicators of cardiovascular diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Dr Eirini Dimidi, Senior Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London and senior author of the study, said: “Current dietary guidance in the UK often emphasises quantity, such as ‘5-a-day’ for fruit and vegetables. Our findings suggest that dietary variety, across all plant-based food groups, may be just as important for improving diet quality and lowering the risk of cardiometabolic diseases.”
The research, published in Clinical Nutrition, analysed data on over 670 adults from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) from 2016–2017. 97% of adults included followed an omnivorous diet... (MORE - details, no ads)