少吃垃圾食物 研究:驚人的溫室氣體排放,來自不營養的飲食 | 環境資訊中心
國際新聞

少吃垃圾食物 研究:驚人的溫室氣體排放,來自不營養的飲食

2021年12月10日
環境資訊中心外電;姜唯 翻譯;林大利 審校;稿源:ENS

英國里茲大學的一項新研究顯示,少吃含糖糕點和薯條有助於對抗氣候危機。研究團隊在調查了3000多種非品牌和4萬種品牌食品後發現,與飲食相關的溫室氣體排放量中,有近1/4來自不營養的食品和飲料。

英國里茲大學的一項新研究顯示,少吃含糖糕點和薯條有助於對抗氣候危機。照片來源:Caleb Oquendo/Pexels

對人體不健康的飲食 同樣對地球有害

研究人員研究了個別食品和品牌的生產、運輸相關溫室氣體排放,並依據世界衛生組織的建議營養素攝取量指南,計算這些食品的營養素;接著使用「myfood24」網站的營養分析軟體,針對212名成年人三個整天的食物和飲料消耗量進行分析。

結果發現,肉類佔飲食相關溫室氣體排放量的32%,飲料佔15%次之,14%來自乳製品,8%來自蛋糕、餅乾和糖果。

溫室氣體排放量的差距上,葷食食品比素食食品高出59%,男性的飲食比女性高出41%。

在飽和脂肪、碳水化合物和鈉的攝取上,如果符合世界衛生組織推薦的營養攝取量(Recommended Nutrient Intakes, RNI),那麼個人的溫室氣體排放量也會比RNI攝取超標者低。

除了吃素 少吃甜食、少喝咖啡也能更環保

這份研究證實,對人體不健康的飲食,也往往對地球有害。糖果、蛋糕和餅乾佔食品相關溫室氣體排放的8.5%;此外,茶、咖啡和酒精等飲料佔15.1%,合計佔23.6%。

雖然偶爾吃垃圾食品不至於造成太大傷害,但經常吃則已證實會增加肥胖和慢性疾病的風險。心血管疾病、第二型糖尿病、非酒精性脂肪肝和一些癌症,都和過量的垃圾食品有關。

糖果、蛋糕和餅乾佔食品相關溫室氣體排放的8.5%;茶、咖啡和酒精等飲料佔15.1%,合計佔23.6%。照片來源:Sharon McCutcheon/Pexels

里茲大學的研究發表在科學期刊《PLOS ONE》,標題為「個人飲食與溫室氣體排放:英國溫室氣體排放與營養攝取之關係」,詳細探究個人飲食對溫室氣體的影響,以及我們每個人如何透過改變飲食習慣來對抗氣候變遷,同時改善營養攝取。

主要作者、里茲大學醫學院博士後研究員瑞平(Holly Rippin)博士說:「我們都希望盡一己之力來幫助拯救地球,我們的決定可以有所貢獻。我們確實需要這重大的文化變革——顯著減少肉類和奶製品的消費,這些產品加總佔飲食相關碳排放量的46%左右。」

「不過,我們的工作顯示,微小的改變也可以產生巨大的效果。只需少吃甜食和少喝咖啡,就可以過得更環保永續。」瑞平說。

男性飲食喜肉多、飲酒  碳排放高出女性四成

研究發現,未加工、以植物為主的飲食也是一種永續飲食。研究人員指出,2019年聯合國政府間氣候變遷專家委員會(IPCC)的報告表明,採取這種飲食可以防止1/5的成年人過早死亡,同時將飲食相關溫室氣體排放量減少80%。

男性的飲食習慣特別重要,其溫室氣體排放量比女性飲食習慣高了41%,主要是因為男性相對較喜歡吃肉和喝酒。

另一位作者葛林伍德(Darren Greenwood)博士說:「其他研究顯示,男性飲食碳排放量較高和他們需要更多能量有關。不過,他們比較偏好從肉類攝取能量,而非其他碳排較低的食物。」

Junk Food Has a Higher Carbon Footprint Than Nutritious Food
LEEDS, UK, December 2, 2021 (ENS)

Cutting out that sugary morning pastry and those fries for lunch might help fight the climate crisis, new research from the University of Leeds has concluded.

Many less nutritious foods and drinks account for nearly a quarter of diet-related greenhouse gas emissions, the research team found, after studying more than 3,000 generic foods and 40,000 branded items.

Meat explained 32 percent of diet-related greenhouse gas emissions; 15 percent from drinks; 14 percent from dairy; and eight percent from cakes, biscuits and confectionery.

Non-vegetarian diets had greenhouse gas emissions 59 percent higher than vegetarian diets. The diest of men had 41 percent higher greenhouse gas emissions than those of women.

Individuals meeting the World Health Organization’s Recommended Nutrient Intakes, RNIs, for saturated fats, carbohydrates and sodium had lower greenhouse gas emissions emissions compared to those exceeding the RNIs.

The study confirms that diets unhealthy for humans also tend to be bad for the planet. Sweets, cakes and biscuits account for 8.5 percent of food-related greenhouse gases. Drinks such as tea, coffee and alcohol contribute 15.1 percent – for a combined total of 23.6 percent.

While the occasional feast of junk food won’t hurt much, eating less nutritious foods regularly has been shown to lead to increased risks of obesity and chronic diseases. Cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and some cancers all have their roots in excessive junk food consumption.

The work of the Leeds-led team, published in the scientific journal “PLOS ONE,” under the title, “Variations in greenhouse gas emissions of individual diets: Associations between the greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient intake in the United Kingdom,” provides a far more detailed picture of the impact of a person’s diet – and the changes each of us can make in our eating habits to combat climate change, while improving our nutrient intake.

Lead author Dr. Holly Rippin, a post-doctoral researcher at University of Leeds School of Medicine, said, “We all want to do our bit to help save the planet and the decisions we make can contribute to that cause. It’s true that we do need big cultural changes – such as significantly reducing our consumption of meat and dairy products which together contribute around 46 percent of our diet-related emissions.”

“However, our work shows that small changes can also produce big gains. You can live a more environmentally sustainable life by just cutting out sweets and drinking less coffee,” Dr. Rippin said.

The team concludes that a healthy diet based on unprocessed, largely plant-based foods is also a sustainable one. They point to the 2019 IPCC Climate Change report that suggests a switch to this type of diet could prevent one-fifth of premature adult deaths while reducing diet-related greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent1.

Men’s eating and drinking habits also play a major role, contributing 41 percent more greenhouse gases than the food and drink intake of women – largely due to their liking for meat and, to a lesser extent, for drinks.

Co-author Dr. Darren Greenwood of the University’s School of Medicine said, “Other studies have suggested that men’s higher diet-related emissions reflected their need for more energy. Unfortunately, it appears that they look to get those calories from meat rather than lower impact foods.”

The researchers studied the greenhouse gas emissions linked to production and transport of individual foods and brands and used the World Health Organization Recommended Nutrient Intake guidelines to measure the nutrients of those foods.

They then analyzed the food and drink consumption of 212 adults recorded online using the nutritional analysis software at myfood24 over three 24 hour periods.

※ 全文及圖片詳見:ENS

作者

姜唯

如果有一件事是重要的,如果能為孩子實現一個願望,那就是人類與大自然和諧共存。

林大利

農業部生物多樣性研究所副研究員,小鳥和棲地是主要的研究對象。是龜毛的讀者,認為龜毛是探索世界的美德。