[paulluuk]

Do you have any evidence that plant-based diets are more "health conscious", and that that by itself explains why they are healthier?

I'm personally vegan for ethical reasons, not health reasons. I wonder how many people actually go plant-based for health reasons, I doubt it's the majority.

[jonnycat]

The "healthy user bias" is a well-known phenomenon in this kind of research, and has been studied specifically with vegetarianism (for example, https://journals.lww.com/nutritiontodayonline/abstract/2019/...). But as mentioned in the comment, I suspect you'd find a similar bias in all sorts of structured diets - the group of people who follow diet X (including sub-groups who follow for health reasons, or moral reasons) will be biased towards being more health conscious.

Again, this doesn't negate the research on "diet X", but it does make coming to a conclusion more complicated.

[evolvingstuff]

From the study:

"It should be remarked that, in the majority of the cases, people adopting plant-based diets are more prone to engage in healthy lifestyles that include regular physical activity, reduction/avoidance of sugar-sweetened beverages, alcohol and tobacco, that, in association with previously mentioned modification of diet [62], lead to the reduction of the risk of ischemic heart disease and related mortality, and, to a lesser extent, of other CVDs."

"It has also been described that vegetarians, in addition to reduced meat intake, ate less refined grains, added fats, sweets, snacks foods, and caloric beverages than did nonvegetarians and had increased consumption of a wide variety of plant foods [65]. "

[paulluuk]

I assume that this is in response to > Do you have any evidence that plant-based diets are more "health conscious", and that that by itself explains why they are healthier?

Good to know, I didn't know this was the case. I wonder if going plant-based makes you more prone to engage in healthy lifestyles, or if having a healthy lifestyle makes you more prone to go plant-based.

[knightoffaith]

I don't know the data on this, but I'm surprised you're doubtful. Don't you think the media and doctors alike have been pushing the idea that plant-based diets are healthier? My doctor suggests a plant-based diet for health. A family member of mine who gets most of his scientific and historical info from netflix is thoroughly convinced that meat will kill you. Just anecdotes of course.

[paulluuk]

Honestly, I wish media would be pushing the idea that plant-based diets are healthier. Instead, all I see in the media is advertisements for meat and dairy products. Doctors tell me that "oh maybe it's because you're vegan?" whenever there is ever anything wrong with me, like say, a cavity at the dentist.

I know about 20-30 other vegans, and literally all of them are vegan for ethical or environmental reasons. None of them do it for health reasons, otherwise vegan pizza, vegan hot chocolate and vegan muffins wouldn't have been a thing.

My experience is also just anecdotal of course. And it might also be a difference in culture or country, perhaps.

[knightoffaith]

Hm, interesting! I see advertisements for meat too, but I generally don't get the impression of them trying to say meat isn't unhealthy. I mean, by and large, it does seem true that pushing veganism or vegetarianism would have a positive effect on people's health, as far as I can tell. Maybe the media should actually be pushing it more. Or at least, in your country/culture.