Diet patterns
MYTH diet score tracked 21% lower aging-related death risk, level with an older healthy-eating index
China Medical University researchers had machine learning rank the foods eaten by 191,689 UK Biobank adults. Most of the 10 rules that emerged match familiar advice; the exceptions reward refined grains and a large glass of wine a day.
Sep 14, 2026
Vegan children were shorter and had lower growth-hormone markers than vegetarian peers
Plant-based diets in childhood are debated on principle and measured rarely. A German cohort compared 7,344 blood samples from 2,508 children against their height, weight and growth biology.
Sep 8, 2026
Shifting nursery menus plant-forward sped up bone turnover in young children
Childcare centers are being asked to serve more plants for climate reasons, with little data on the children. A ten-month randomized trial found bone markers moving, and the researchers are not sure it is benign.
Sep 7, 2026
Four healthy eating patterns each tracked about 12% less acid reflux across 183,878 adults
Reflux advice is a list of foods to avoid. Following 183,878 UK adults for 13 years, the Mediterranean, MIND and DASH patterns and a gut-focused diet index each tracked lower risk, while an inflammatory pattern tracked more.
Sep 1, 2026
The best diet-and-sleep combination tracked 43% less lung cancer across 192,034 people
Diet and sleep are usually studied one at a time. Scoring both together in the UK Biobank and following people for 14 years, the group with the best Mediterranean diet and the best sleep had the lowest lung cancer risk by a wide margin.
Sep 1, 2026
Plant-based low-carb eating tracked 15% less dementia over nine years, whatever the genetic risk
A low-carbohydrate diet and a low-fat diet look symmetrical on paper. Across 5,301 Americans followed for nine years they were not: the low-carb score tracked less dementia, the low-fat score did not, and the food sources decided both.
Aug 30, 2026
The Portfolio diet tracked 10% lower death risk across 513,284 people in four cohorts
A Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition analysis pooled 10 studies of the cholesterol-lowering Portfolio diet. Each step up the adherence score went with 6% less cardiovascular disease and 10% lower all-cause mortality.
Aug 26, 2026
A China-adapted planetary diet tracked 14% lower deaths
Researchers rebuilt the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet around Chinese eating and scored 19,660 adults on it. The top quarter had a 14% lower death rate over a median 9.1 years, alongside lower emissions, water use and land use.
Aug 17, 2026
Mediterranean diet beat low-fat on 20-year heart risk
Researchers emulated a trial in 12,197 higher-risk US adults from two Harvard cohorts. Estimated 20-year cardiovascular risk was 28.2% on a Mediterranean diet against 35.9% on a low-fat one.
Aug 6, 2026
Anti-inflammatory diet linked to longer life after cancer
In 7,686 Swedish patients with cancer of the prostate, bladder or kidney, those eating a more anti-inflammatory diet beforehand were less likely to die of anything. The link to dying of the cancer itself was weak.
Aug 4, 2026
A plant-based pattern cut 20-year heart disease risk by 26%
Greek researchers followed 1,988 adults for two decades and found the diet that was best for the planet was also best for the heart. The Western pattern showed nothing.
Jul 31, 2026
The traditional Chinese diet tracked with fewer deaths, more obesity
A European Journal of Nutrition study of 11,158 Chinese adults found high adherence to the traditional diet linked to lower heart disease and death rates, and higher obesity rates.
Jul 29, 2026
Hitting the wholegrain target tracked with less breast cancer
A European Journal of Nutrition study followed 36,479 Swedish women for a mean 16.5 years and found those eating at least 90 g of wholegrains a day had lower breast cancer rates.
Jul 29, 2026
Plant-based only helped if it wasn't ultra-processed
An EClinicalMedicine study of 17,374 UK Biobank adults found plant foods tracked with less weight gain, but plant-sourced ultra-processed foods tracked with more.
Jul 28, 2026