#584: EAT-Lancet: Does the Planetary Health Diet Improve Human Health?

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Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. The Hosts
  3. Timestamps
  4. Related Resources
  5. Premium Content
    • Detailed Study Notes
    • Transcript
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Introduction

How should we think about diets that claim to optimise both human and planetary health? Can a single “reference diet” really balance the complex trade-offs between nutrition adequacy, chronic disease prevention, and environmental sustainability?

These questions have gained renewed attention with the release of the 2025 update to the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet. The original 2019 report proposed a mostly plant-based dietary pattern designed to improve population health while staying within planetary boundaries. But since then, new data have emerged—on nutrient requirements, disease risk, and environmental modelling—that complicate many of the original assumptions.

What does the updated evidence actually say about the health impacts of eating in line with this framework? How have the environmental projections changed? And what do these evolving targets mean for individuals, policymakers, and researchers trying to translate broad sustainability goals into practical dietary guidance?

These are some of the questions explored in this episode of Sigma Nutrition, which examines the 2025 EAT-Lancet update, its scientific foundations, and what it reveals about the intersection of nutrition, health, and planetary sustainability.

The Hosts

Dr. Alan Flanagan has a PhD in nutrition from the University of Surrey, where his doctoral research focused on circadian rhythms, feeding, and chrononutrition.

This work was based on human intervention trials. He also has a Masters in Nutritional Medicine from the same institution.

Dr. Flanagan is a regular co-host of Sigma Nutrition Radio. He also produces written content for Sigma Nutrition, as part of his role as Research Communication Officer.

Danny Lennon has a master’s degree (MSc.) in Nutritional Sciences from University College Cork, and he is the founder of Sigma Nutrition.

Danny is currently a member of the Advisory Board of the Sports Nutrition Association, the global regulatory body responsible for the standardisation of best practice in the sports nutrition profession.

Timestamps

  • [01:46] Focus on the 2025 EAT-Lancet report
  • [02:27] Overview of the Planetary Health Diet
  • [03:13] Comparing 2019 and 2025 reports
  • [03:40] Dietary recommendations and nutrient targets
  • [04:14] Health and environmental impacts
  • [09:12] Scoring methods and dietary patterns
  • [27:00] Mortality and chronic disease outcomes
  • [40:01] Type 2 diabetes
  • [44:13] Neuroimaging and cognitive outcomes
  • [49:48] Conclusions and practical implications
  • [58:55] Key ideas segment (Premium-only)

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