A large long-term study presented at NUTRITION 2026 suggests that older women who ate in closer alignment with the Planetary Health Diet had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than those whose diets were least aligned with the pattern.
The research followed 66,892 postmenopausal women in the Women’s Health Initiative for about 20 years. According to the findings, the women with the highest adherence to the diet had about a 28% lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with the lowest-adherence group, while even moderate adherence was linked to lower risk.
What the Planetary Health Diet emphasizes
The Planetary Health Diet favors fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and unsaturated fats, while limiting red and processed meats, added sugars, refined grains and saturated fats. The study’s authors said the results suggest people may not need to follow a perfect or highly restrictive plan to see potential heart-health benefits.
Donya Shahamati, a doctoral student in public health at the University of California, Irvine, said the pattern can be approached through small, realistic changes such as filling half the plate with vegetables more often, using avocado or olive oil instead of butter, choosing oatmeal or whole-grain cereal for breakfast, or trying a meatless meal once a week.
Why the findings matter
The analysis also found lower risks of coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure among women whose diets were more closely aligned with the pattern. Researchers noted, however, that the study was observational and cannot prove that the diet directly caused the lower risk.
The findings arrive as clinicians and public health experts continue to look for practical ways to improve diet quality in older adults, particularly at a stage of life when cardiovascular risk tends to rise after menopause.
The research team said it is now exploring other aspects of diet and health in older adult populations, including how diet quality changes over time and what that means for healthy aging and chronic disease prevention.
More details on the presentation were published by News Medical, which reported the study ahead of the conference. ([news-medical.net](https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260725/Planetary-Health-Diet-lowers-cardiovascular-risk-in-older-women.aspx))
