8 Million Lives And $1 Trillion Could Be Saved By Vegan Diet

A research study has found that 8 million human deaths and $1 trillion in healthcare costs each year could be saved if more people adopted a vegan diet.

Oxford University researchers examined four different diets and found that vegan one was better for human health and the planet.

“We do not expect everybody to become vegan. But climate change impacts of the food system will be hard to tackle and likely require more than just technological changes. Adopting healthier and more environmentally sustainable diets can be a large step in the right direction,” said author Marco Springmann.

Oddly, the number of animal lives that would be saved each year wasn’t mentioned, though that benefit would be realized, as far fewer animals would be consumed.

There has  been other research done showing that animal-based agriculture contributes more to climate change than all global transportation combined. In particular, it is cattle management that is the main contributor.

A  variety of research studies have indicated that a vegan diet may also reduce the risks of developing chronic diseases, like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity. A vegan diet can also help improve your skin.

Considering how complex and difficult health care problems and climate change are, it might be somewhat shocking to learn that there is at least a partial solution in a vegan diet. In the US, less than 3% of the population is vegan, and there are some beliefs that a vegan diet is ‘weird’ or ‘radical’. However, it is not only for hippies or artists, it could be beneficial for a number of people. Obesity is a big problem in some developed countries like the US and UK, so switching to a vegan diet might be a solution in some cases.

A plant-based diet is also better for the environment because raising animals produces millions of gallons or waste products which can pollute water ways. Of course, there is the climate change factor as well.

Image Credit: Joy, Creative Commons 2.0