Degree of Adherence to Plant-Based Diet and Total and Cause-Specific Mortality: Prospective Cohort Study in the Million Veteran Program

High compliance with a plant-based diet can extend the lifespan of an individual.

This study examined the impact of a plant-based dietary pattern on mortality risk. Researchers surveyed the dietary and mortality records of over 300,000 US men and women aged 19-104 years recruited from the VA Million Veteran Program. A total of 31,136 deaths were recorded during the course of the study. 

Researchers observed a 25% decline in total mortality risk among participants following a healthy plant-based diet. This study concluded that "a greater adherence to a plant-based diet was associated with substantially lower total mortality in this large population of veterans."