Inspiring Business by Sharing Success
Added by Love Business East Midlands | 31 January 2021
UPDATED: 31 January 2021
A ‘veganalysis’ by leading UK health check service Medichecks - interrogating the effects of a plant-based diet versus meat-eating in 2020 - has found significant health benefits.
Medichecks has crunched the numbers for a pool of 10,000, cross referencing key biomarkers for both plant-based and omnivorous eaters, finding that:
Dr Natasha Fernando, a GP and Head of Clinical Excellence at Medichecks explains: “An important finding from this 2020 study is the effect of a plant-based diet in supporting the body’s ability to control blood glucose levels, because this is a determinant for type 2 diabetes. As published recently in The Lancet, diabetics are 40% more likely to have fatal or critical-care COVID[i]. The evidence that switching to plant-based foods can manage or reverse this condition is hugely valuable, particularly as we navigate the peak of this pandemic.”
Dr Fernando added: “Importantly, while the biomarkers we studied showed a plant-based diet optimises health, based on average levels we didn’t find any deficiencies for meat-eater. So a diet that features meat shouldn’t necessarily be considered unhealthy – ensuring a good balance and nutrient dense foods is the key.”
Additional findings from the data include:
Dr Fernando concluded: “At this stage in our fight against COVID, everyone can continue to do their bit not just by following the government guidance, but also by taking personal responsibility to safeguard their health. That means making a healthy, balanced and nutritious diet a priority – that goes both for vegans and meat-eaters. Almost all of the underlying conditions that increase risk factors for coronavirus are preventable and, in many cases, reversible.”