Planetary Health Diet Cuts Cardiovascular Risk in Postmenopausal Women by 28%

A 20‑year prospective study of more than 65,000 post‑menopausal women found that higher adherence to the Planetary Health Diet was linked to roughly a 28 % lower risk of overall cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure. Even moderate adherence provided measurable benefit.

The diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and unsaturated fats while limiting red and processed meats, added sugars, refined grains and saturated fats. Researchers calculated a Planetary Diet Index for each participant in the Women’s Health Initiative, a U.S. National Institutes of Health‑funded cohort, and divided the women into five adherence groups.

Donya Shahamati, a doctoral student in public health at the University of California, Irvine, presented the findings at the American Society for Nutrition’s Nutrition 2026 meeting in National Harbor, Maryland, noting that “people may not need to follow a perfect or very restrictive diet to see potential heart‑health benefits.” Small, realistic changes such as filling half the plate with vegetables or swapping butter for avocado oil were suggested.