Samuel Soret

Diet and the environment: does what you eat matter?

Food demand influences agricultural production. Modern agricultural practices have resulted in polluted soil, air, and water; eroded soil; dependence on imported oil; and loss of biodiversity. The goal of this research was to compare the environmental effect of a vegetarian and nonvegetarian diet in California in terms of agricultural production inputs, including pesticides and fertilizers, water, and energy used to produce commodities. The working assumption was that a greater number and amount of inputs were associated with a greater environmental effect. The literature supported this notion. To accomplish this goal, dietary preferences were quantified with the Adventist Health Study, and California state agricultural data were collected and applied to state commodity production statistics. These data were used to calculate different dietary consumption patterns and indexes to compare the environmental effect associated with dietary preference. Results show that, for the combined differential production of 11 food items for which consumption differs among vegetarians and nonvegetarians, the nonvegetarian diet required 2.9 times more water, 2.5 times more primary energy, 13 times more fertilizer, and 1.4 times more pesticides than did the vegetarian diet. The greatest contribution to the differences came from the consumption of beef in the diet. We found that a nonvegetarian diet exacts a higher cost on the environment relative to a vegetarian diet. From an environmental perspective, what a person chooses to eat makes a difference.

Climate change mitigation and health effects of varied dietary patterns in real-life settings throughout North America

BACKGROUND Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) are a major consequence of our dietary choices. Assessments of plant-based compared with meat-based diets are emerging at the intersection of public health, environment, and nutrition. OBJECTIVES The objective was to compare the GHGEs associated with dietary patterns consumed in a large population across North America and to independently assess mortality according to dietary patterns in the same population. DESIGN Data from the Adventist Health Study 2 (AHS-2) were used to characterize the differential environmental and health impacts of the following 3 dietary patterns, which varied in the quantity of animal and plant foods: vegetarian, semivegetarian, and nonvegetarian. The GHGE intensities of 210 foods were calculated through life-cycle assessments and by using published data. The all-cause mortality rates and all-cause mortality HRs for the AHS-2 subjects were adjusted for a range of lifestyle and sociodemographic factors and estimated according to dietary pattern. RESULTS With the use of the nonvegetarian diet as a reference, the mean reductions in GHGEs for semivegetarian and vegetarian diets were 22% and 29%, respectively. The mortality rates for nonvegetarians, semivegetarians, and vegetarians were 6.66, 5.53, and 5.56 deaths per 1000 person-years, respectively. The differences were significant. Compared with nonvegetarians, mortality HRs were lower for semivegetarians (0.86) and vegetarians (0.91). CONCLUSIONS Moderate differences in the caloric intake of meat products provided nontrivial reductions in GHGEs and improved health outcomes, as shown through the mortality analyses. However, this does not mean that diets lower in GHGEs are healthy.

The environmental cost of protein food choices

OBJECTIVE To investigate the resource efficiency and environmental impacts of producing one kilogram of edible protein from two plant- and three animal-protein sources. DESIGN Primary source data were collected and applied to commodity production statistics to calculate the indices required to compare the environmental impact of producing 1 kg of edible protein from kidney beans, almonds, eggs, chicken and beef. Inputs included land and water for raising animals and growing animal feed, total fuel, and total fertilizer and pesticide for growing the plant commodities and animal feed. Animal waste generated was computed for the animal commodities. SETTING Desk-based study at the Department of Nutrition and Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Loma Linda University. SUBJECTS None. RESULTS To produce 1 kg of protein from kidney beans required approximately eighteen times less land, ten times less water, nine times less fuel, twelve times less fertilizer and ten times less pesticide in comparison to producing 1 kg of protein from beef. Compared with producing 1 kg of protein from chicken and eggs, beef generated five to six times more waste (manure) to produce 1 kg of protein. CONCLUSIONS The substitution of beef with beans in meal patterns will significantly reduce the environmental footprint worldwide and should also be encouraged to reduce the prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases. Societies must work together to change the perception that red meat (e.g. beef) is the mainstay of an affluent and healthy diet.

The Association between Ambient Fine Particulate Air Pollution and Lung Cancer Incidence: Results from the AHSMOG-2 Study.

Background: There is a positive association between ambient fine particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) and incidence and mortality of lung cancer (LC), but few studies have assessed the relationship between ambient PM2.5 and LC among never smokers. Objectives: We assessed the association between PM2.5 and risk of LC using the Adventist Health and Smog Study-2 (AHSMOG-2), a cohort of health conscious nonsmokers where 81% have never smoked. Methods: A total of 80,285 AHSMOG-2 participants were followed for an average of 7.5 years with respect to incident LC identified through linkage with U.S. state cancer registries. Estimates of ambient air pollution levels at participants’ residences were obtained for 2000 and 2001, the years immediately prior to the start of the study. Results: A total of 250 incident LC cases occurred during 598,927 person-years of follow-up. For each 10-μg/m3 increment in PM2.5, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for LC incidence was 1.43 (95% CI: 1.11, 1.84) in the two-pollutant multivariable model with ozone. Among those who spent > 1 hr/day outdoors or who had lived 5 or more years at their enrollment address, the HR was 1.68 (95% CI: 1.28, 2.22) and 1.54 (95% CI: 1.17, 2.04), respectively. Conclusion: Increased risk estimates of LC were observed for each 10-μg/m3 increment in ambient PM2.5 concentration. The estimate was higher among those with longer residence at enrollment address and those who spent > 1 hr/day outdoors. Citation: Gharibvand L, Shavlik D, Ghamsary M, Beeson WL, Soret S, Knutsen R, Knutsen SF. 2017. The association between ambient fine particulate air pollution and lung cancer incidence: results from the AHSMOG-2 study. Environ Health Perspect 125:378–384; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP124Citation: Gharibvand L, Shavlik D, Ghamsary M, Beeson WL, Soret S, Knutsen R, Knutsen SF. 2017. The association between ambient fine particulate air pollution and lung cancer incidence: results from the AHSMOG-2 study. Environ Health Perspect 125:378–384; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP124

Environmental Nutrition: A New Frontier for Public Health

Food systems must operate within environmental constraints to avoid disastrous consequences for the biosphere. Such constraints must also take into account nutritional quality and health outcomes. Given the intrinsic relationships between the environmental sciences and nutritional sciences, it is imperative that public health embraces environmental nutrition as the new frontier of research and practice and begins a concerted focus on the new discipline of environmental nutrition, which seeks to comprehensively address the sustainability of food systems. We provide an overview to justify our proposition, outline a research and practice agenda for environmental nutrition, and explore how the complex relationships within food systems that affect public health could be better understood through the environmental nutrition model.

Neighborhood effects in bird distributions, Navarre, Spain

This study examines the role of neighborhood effects in the spatial distributions of selected bird species in Navarre, Spain. We employed a geographic information system (GIS) to organize the data on bird distributions and relevant environmental variables and to analyze their spatial patterns. Three bird species were selected for analysis: the European honey-buzzard (Pernis apivorus), the Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo), and the European pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). Selected environmental variables of the study area were digitized to create a comprehensive data base and logistic regression models were used to evaluate the significance of each variable in the spatial distribution. The spatial patterns of bird distributions were used to extract topological relationships and to identify neighborhood effects. Although all the selected species illustrate a pattern of positive spatial autocorrelation in their distributions, the significance of neighborhood effects varies from species to species. Among the selected species, neighborhood effects are most evident in the distribution of the European pied flycatcher and are significant for the Eurasian hobby. The distribution of the European honey-buzzard is not much affected by neighborhood effects. The results suggest that examination of neighborhood effects is a prerequisite for modeling bird distributions.

The Association between Low Back Pain and Fatigue among Commercial Drivers

Objective: To examine the association between low back pain and fatigue among commercial drivers. Methods: A self-selected group of 90 current commercial drivers from 3 locations participated in an anonymous survey. Low back pain was assessed by the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). Fatigue was measured by the Brief Fatigue Inventory. Multiple linear regression (MLR) was used to quantify the association between LBP and fatigue. Results: MLR showed that increased level of low back pain is a significant predictor of increased fatigue when adjusted for age, gender, BMI, job satisfaction, years and miles driven (p<0.001). Conclusion: These results confirm the existence of a significant association between back pain and fatigue in this population. This suggests that addressing the causes of back pain among drivers could reduce their level of fatigue and thereby promote improved highway safety.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Generated by Tofu Production: A Case Study

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) generated by the production of tofu. A partial life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed using SimaPro 8 software with a functional unit of 1 kg of packaged tofu and a farm to factory gate boundary. Original production data for the period of 1 year were obtained from a tofu manufacturer based in the United States and used with soybean production data from SimaPro 8 Ecoinvent 3.1 and U.S. Life Cycle Inventory databases to calculate the associated GHGEs as carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e). The LCA calculations included resource inputs required to produce and package tofu: soybeans, water, electricity, natural gas, transportation, and packaging materials. The LCA boundary was from the cradle (i.e., soybean farm) to the factory exit gate (i.e., postpackaging). Uncertainty analyses were performed using Monte Carlo simulations. Total CO2e from packaged tofu were 982 g/kg, 9820 g/kg of protein, 1150 g/1000 calories, and 336 g/retail packet of 396 g. For 1 kg of packaged tofu, 16% of CO2e resulted from soybean production, 52% from tofu manufacturing, 23% from packaging, and 9% from transportation. Tofu, a protein-rich plant food, generates relatively low GHGEs.

Geographic patterns of change over time in mammography: Differences between Black and White U.S. Medicare enrollees

U.S. Black women have higher breast cancer mortality compared to White women while their rate of ever having a mammogram has become equal to or slightly surpassed that of Whites. We mapped the distribution of change in screening mammography for Black and White female Medicare enrollees ages 67-69 from 2008 to 2012 by hospital referral region across the contiguous U.S., performed cluster analysis to assess spatial autocorrelation, and examined the screening differences between these groups in 2008 and 2012 respectively. Changes in screening mammography are not consistent across the U.S.: Black and White women have increased and decreased their use of mammography in different regions and Black womens change patterns vary more widely.

Health Insights: The Efficacy of Current Prenatal Education on Listeria Monocytogenes

Every year, at least one major Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) outbreak occurs within the United States. If pregnant women are uninformed of possible ramifications of contracting Listeria, the mother and child are at risk for health complications. One possibly effective communication approach to this population regarding prevention and risk is through Listeria Educational Materials (LEM). In order to ascertain the status and effectiveness of currently available LEM for pregnant women, a systematic literature review was conducted. Literature searches were conducted using widely accepted public/private databases. The mesh terms used included “Listeria pregnancy”, “listeria education”, “Listeriosis”, “Listeria pregnancy prevalence” “Listeria monocytogenes”. Articles published within the past 10 years pertaining to educational materials for pregnant women were evaluated. Articles relating to general information of Listeria, were also narrowed to specific characteristics, traits, and origin for exposure. References to Listeria in elderly and immunocompromised individuals were excluded. Four studies involving Listeria interventions including LEM for pregnant women were identified. These studies all concluded a majority of pregnant women were still not provided with sufficient information on infection prevention of Listeria. Most educational materials provided to the women were in the form of pamphlets, and the majority of pregnant women who had heard of Listeria gathered the information through their own research efforts. The current evaluation of the available studies concludes there is inadequate emphasis placed on educational interventions for pregnant women regarding Listeria risk. These interventions concluded more must be done to inform these pregnant women of the dangers of Listeria as well as on the high-risk foods they consume on a daily basis.