New research by the Department of Health and Economic Affairs shows that adopting a 100% plant-based diet in England could lead to total savings in NHS healthcare costs of around £6.7bn.
Authors Nadine Henderson and Chris Sampson use analysis based on economic models to estimate the prevalence of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes, and to predict the prevalence of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes. We predict that the prevalence will be significantly reduced if the intake is increased. They also modeled different levels of uptake in the population.
Consumption of vegan diets has increased dramatically in recent years, with those making the switch citing a variety of reasons including perceived health benefits, reduced environmental impact and improved animal welfare.
For many people, transitioning to a vegan diet means eating more health-promoting plant foods like whole grains, nuts, legumes, fruits, and vegetables while eliminating saturated fat and cholesterol found in meat, milk, and eggs. This is an opportunity to consume it.
Research shows that plant-based diets may improve health outcomes related to diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
However, despite this, little research has been conducted on the financial value this brings to health services.
This analysis, funded by the Vegan Society, addresses this research gap and begins to quantify the potential benefits to the NHS of increased intake of vegan diets, with surprising results.
The conclusion is that if everyone in the UK ate a plant-based diet, NHS spending would be reduced by an estimated £6.7 billion a year, there would be 2.1 million fewer cases of disease and 170,000 quality-adjusted life years would be saved for the entire population. It has been revealed that there is a possibility that this number will increase further. .
The potential impact of these savings is significant, with enough funds saved to cover the full annual budgets of the UK’s seven largest hospitals, or the annual salaries of 64,990 consultants or 184,920 nurses. Masu.
The significant cost savings and potential benefits described in the report provide a basis for policy makers to consider potential interventions to support healthy dietary changes that contribute to population health. To do.
Commenting on the importance of the study and its potential impact, author Dr Chris Sampson said: “We now have strong evidence that plant-based diets are beneficial for people’s health.”
“Our analysis takes an important step towards understanding how dietary choices impact the health of the population and overall NHS spending. For every million people who switch to a vegan diet, This could save the NHS a staggering £121m by reducing the number of illnesses caused.”
Claire Ogley, Head of Campaigns, Policy and Research at the Vegan Society, said: ‘There is now evidence that plant-based diets are not only beneficial for individual health, but have the potential to benefit the NHS on a wider scale. It’s encouraging to see the number increasing.”
“As the report shows, increasing the uptake of plant-based diets could free up billions of pounds to be reinvested in England’s hospitals and services. Supporting and encouraging plant-based diets should be considered as part of public health campaigns to achieve ‘benefits for the UK health service. ”
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vegan association
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