A new study underlines the positive environmental and health impacts of transitioning to a vegan diet. Science indicates that moving from a conventional Western diet to a vegan diet could reduce those greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent. This transformation decreases disease prevalence and halts the increased probability of dying early from noncommunicable diseases. These results could inspire more people to view plant-based eating as an accessible new normal.
The study compared four dietary patterns: omnivorous, pesco-vegetarian, ovo-lacto-vegetarian, and vegan. These outcomes indicate that going vegan greatly lowered the markers for ecosystem influences by more than half. That’s a pretty striking testament to its usefulness in furthering sustainability.
Health Benefits of a Vegan Diet
The second modelling study shows that switching to a vegan diet could result in more than 55% reduction in new cases of disease. This dramatic increase in health is due to the removal of health risks associated with animal-based foods. Rather, they’re reaching for plant-based proteins, such as tofu, textured soy protein, tempeh, soy yogurt, seeds and legumes.
The vegan diet may lower the risk of premature mortality due to noncommunicable diseases. Estimates have put this reduction between 18% and 21%. If we push to make plant-based diets the default option, it will greatly improve personal health. They help advance public health initiatives to reduce the rates of chronic disease.
The vegan menu designed for the study provided 2,000 kilocalories per day, aligning with recommendations from various health organizations. A vegan diet can easily be nutritionally balanced. When it comes to individual nutrients, one must be especially mindful of vitamin D, iodine, and vitamin B12 intake in order to be fully nutritionally adequate.
Environmental Impact
Perhaps the most interesting critique of the vegan diet is its implications on the environment. The vegan diet’s ‘cradle-to-home’ total greenhouse gas emissions dropped to a mere 2.1kg per day. That’s a staggering 46% less in emissions than that of an omnivorous diet. This downward trend in emissions serves as a powerful reminder of how our choices—especially what we eat—have an outsized role in solving climate change.
The vegan diet requires only 9.5 cubic meters of water. This represents a 7% decrease from the 10.2 cubic meters needed by an omnivorous diet. The vegan diet nearly eliminates the environmental impact score associated with land use. It falls all the way to only 151 points per day, which is an impressive 33% lower than the score of a typical omnivorous diet – 226 points. These results are evidence that transitioning to more plant-based diets can reduce damage to the planet’s natural resources and ecosystems.
Growing Trend of Veganism
At present, only around 1.1% of the global population is vegan. This percentage is sharply on the rise. In Germany the number of vegans roughly doubled from 2016 to 2020, rising to around 2% of the population. In the UK, the number of vegans increased by 2.4 times from 2023-2025. This 40% increase pushed the percentage of vegans in the population up to a remarkable 4.7%.
Beyond economic and scientific implications, this growth reflects a dramatic cultural shift toward more plant-forward eating habits. More people are learning about the health and environmental advantages of veganism. And these dietary practices are making inroads all over the planet. They even cut down on individual carbon footprints and improve health outcomes overall.