TY - JOUR

T1 - Developing a novel optimisation approach for keeping heterogeneous diets healthy and within planetary boundaries for climate change

AU - Eustachio Colombo, Patricia

AU - Elinder, Liselotte Schäfer

AU - Nykänen, Esa Pekka A.

AU - Patterson, Emma

AU - Lindroos, Anna Karin

AU - Parlesak, Alexandr

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2023.

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - Background and objectives: Current dietary habits have substantial negative impacts on the health of people and the planet. This study aimed to develop a novel approach for achieving health-promoting and climate-friendly dietary recommendations for a broad range of consumers. Subjects and methods: Hierarchical clustering analysis was combined with linear programming to design nutritionally adequate, health-promoting, climate-friendly and culturally acceptable diets using Swedish national dietary data (n = 1797). Diets were optimised for the average consumption of the total population as well as for the dietary clusters. Results: Three dietary clusters were identified. All optimised diets had lower shares of animal-source foods and contained higher amounts of plant-based foods. These dietary shifts reduced climate impacts by up to 53% while leaving much of the diet unchanged. The optimised diets of the three clusters differed from the optimised diet of the total population. All optimised diets differed considerably from the food-group pattern of the EAT-Lancet diet. Conclusions: The novel cluster-based optimisation approach was able to generate alternatives that may be more acceptable and realistic for a sustainable diet across different groups in the population.

AB - Background and objectives: Current dietary habits have substantial negative impacts on the health of people and the planet. This study aimed to develop a novel approach for achieving health-promoting and climate-friendly dietary recommendations for a broad range of consumers. Subjects and methods: Hierarchical clustering analysis was combined with linear programming to design nutritionally adequate, health-promoting, climate-friendly and culturally acceptable diets using Swedish national dietary data (n = 1797). Diets were optimised for the average consumption of the total population as well as for the dietary clusters. Results: Three dietary clusters were identified. All optimised diets had lower shares of animal-source foods and contained higher amounts of plant-based foods. These dietary shifts reduced climate impacts by up to 53% while leaving much of the diet unchanged. The optimised diets of the three clusters differed from the optimised diet of the total population. All optimised diets differed considerably from the food-group pattern of the EAT-Lancet diet. Conclusions: The novel cluster-based optimisation approach was able to generate alternatives that may be more acceptable and realistic for a sustainable diet across different groups in the population.

U2 - 10.1038/s41430-023-01368-7

DO - 10.1038/s41430-023-01368-7

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 37990128

AN - SCOPUS:85177457991

VL - 78

SP - 193

EP - 201

JO - European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

JF - European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

SN - 0954-3007

IS - 3

ER -