Research investigating the ecological sustainability of children and young people’s diets

A study by researchers at the University of Bonn investigates the ecological sustainability of children’s and young people’s diets.

Our diet puts a strain on the earth’s resources. Therefore, there is an increasing importance of transitioning to a sustainable diet that benefits both our health and the health of the planet. Researchers from the University of Bonn analyzed the diets of children and adolescents in terms of their contribution to ecological sustainability indicators such as greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water use. This research shows that there is both the potential and the need to make young people’s diets more sustainable. The study will be published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Already available online.

We sought to analyze age and time trends over the past 20 years. ”

Professor Ute Nöthlings, Institute of Nutrition and Food Science (IEL), University of Bonn

Her team used data from the DONALD study. Since 1985, the Dortmund Nutrition and Anthropometric Longitudinal Design Cohort Study has regularly collected detailed data on a variety of factors including diet, metabolism, development, and health status in children and adolescents.

The research team analyzed data from 856 school children aged 6 to 17. The children recorded their meals from 2000 to 2021 in more than 5,000 three-day weighed food records. The researchers used existing databases to calculate the environmental sustainability of the recorded diets in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water use.

Possibility of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by changing dietary habits

“Studying the period from 2000 to 2010, we observed that greenhouse gas emissions values ​​increased for both girls and boys, but decreased since then,” the study said. Lead author Karen van de Rohcht of IEL summarizes: Member of the Interdisciplinary Research Area (TRA) “Sustainable Futures” at the University of Bonn. “We conclude that changing dietary intake has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Still, more needs to be done,” says TRA, “A Sustainable Future.” ” speaker and member of TRA “Life”, Juto Neslings added. and health.” “As expected, we were able to show that the consumption of foods of animal origin is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.”

As a further step, the study also analyzed the nutritional adequacy of the participants’ diets and found that, on average, they were suboptimal.

“In particular, the mean values ​​for calcium and iron were below the levels recommended in Germany, which is reflected in the results of other studies,” says van de Locht. The analyses carried out in the study showed that a diet with high nutritional adequacy was not associated with a reduced environmental impact. “We conclude that nutritionally advantageous food choices are particularly important when it comes to reducing the intake of animal products in this age group,” explains Neslings.

The researchers argue that they support situational nutritional recommendations. Children and adolescents have special nutritional needs as they grow and are often underrepresented in nutritional research. “Further research will help drive improvements in published recommendations to achieve diets that are both healthy and environmentally sustainable for children and young people,” concludes Nesslings. .

funding

This project was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). The DONALD study was funded by the NRW Ministry of Culture and Science.