Healthy plant-based diet may protect against metabolic syndrome

Greater adherence to a healthy plant-based diet appears to lead to a lower incidence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), according to a study.

The study included 4,287 Brazilian adults who participated in the Cohort of Universities of Minas Gerais (CUME Study, 2016-2022). Diet quality was evaluated using validated scoring indices, including the overall, healthful, and unhealthful Plant-Based Diet Index (PDI, hPDI, and uPDI, respectively), in addition to the Brazilian Healthy Eating Index – Revised (BHEI-R).

The primary outcome of MetS was defined according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria.

Over a mean follow-up period of 3.6 years, MetS occurred in 215 participants (5 percent). The corresponding incidence rate was 14.1 per 1,000 person-years.

In Cox proportional hazards models, higher hPDI scores were associated with a 40-percent reduced risk of MetS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.60, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.42–0.85; p=0.004). Similarly, higher BHEI-R scores were associated with a 36-percent lower risk of MetS (HR, 0.64, 95 percent CI, 0.44–0.93; p=0.021).

Factors such as age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity did not modify the observed associations.

The findings underscore the importance of evaluating overall diet quality, rather than food origin alone, in preventing chronic diseases.