Dietary Patterns and Sustainable Lifestyles: A Multicenter Study from Latin America and Spain
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Food systems interact through multiple dimensions including food security, nutrition, and planetary health. This study aims to associate different dietary patterns with sustainable lifestyles in Latin America and Spain. This was an observational, analytical, multicenter, cross-sectional survey study, with a total of 6412 participants. A self-administered questionnaire was developed in an online format in the Google Docs interface. The questionnaire was divided into sections: (1) sociodemographic background: country of residence, age, sex, educational level, socioeconomic aspects, and place of residence; (2) body mass index classification; (3) dietary patterns (Western, vegetarian, vegan, ketogenic, Mediterranean, prudent, or paleolithic diets); and (4) the Sustainable Lifestyles Survey. Multivariate models were applied to adjust for potential confounding factors. The mean age of the participants was 35.2 years (SD 12.7). The majority of participants identified their dietary pattern as omnivorous (41.5%), followed by the Western diet (21.7%) and the Mediterranean diet (12.7%). Plant-based, vegan (β: 14.90; 95% CI: 9.75-20.05), and lacto egg (β: 12.08; 95% CI: 8.57-15.58) diets are significantly associated with a higher sustainability score compared to an omnivorous diet. In contrast, a Western diet is inversely associated (β: -5.63; 95% CI: -7.20 to -4.06). Finally, a vegan (Sub-score 1: β: 6.19; 95% CI: 4.43-7.96) diet is consistently associated with higher levels of sustainability in all areas assessed. In contrast, the Western diet shows a significant negative association with sustainability in all subcomponents assessed. Conclusions: Plant-based dietary patterns were shown to be associated with sustainable lifestyles, with the vegan diet having the greatest association, while the Western dietary pattern was inversely associated.
Source: Foods
Authors: Solange Parra-Soto, Tannia Valeria Carpio-Arias, Israel Rios-Castillo, Patricio Pérez-Armijo, Leslie Landaeta-Díaz, Ana Gabriela Murillo, Jacqueline Araneda-Flores, Brian M. Cavagnari, Georgina Gómez, Gladys Morales, Karla Cordón-Arrivillaga, Melissa Miranda-Durán, Ana María Aguilar, Alfonsina Ortiz, Eliana Romina Meza-Miranda, Edna J. Nava-González, Jhon Jairo Bejarano-Roncancio, Beatriz Núñez-Martínez, João P. M. Lima, Jorge de Assis Costa, Jairo Torres, Saby Mauricio, Saby Camacho, Gloria Maricela Morales, Macarena Jara, Samuel Durán-Agüero
Institutions: University of Bío-Bío, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Chimborazo, Universidad de Panamá, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Universidad Isabel I, University of the Americas, Universidad de Costa Rica, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Universidad de La Frontera, Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Universidad Católica del Uruguay, Universidad Nacional de Asunción, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universidad del Norte, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Centro de Investigação em Produção Agroalimentar Sustentável, Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Universidad Norbert Wiener, Tecnológico de Monterrey, San Sebastián University
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,499
Funder: Universidad del Bío-Bío
OpenAlex ID: W4411211950