PhD Scientific Days 2026

Health Sciences 3.

Comparing the Hungarian Dietary Landscape with the Planetary Health Diet: Insights into Health and Environmental Sustainability

Name of the presenter

Mészáros, Ágota

Institute/workplace of the presenter

Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University

Authors

Ágota Mészáros¹, Zoltán Vokó¹
1: Center for Health Technology Assessment, Semmelweis University

Text of the abstract

Introduction:
In Hungary, the Smart Plate, developed by the Hungarian Dieticians’ Association, is widely used as a dietary recommendation in the absence of an official national guideline. At the global level, the Planetary Health Diet was proposed by the EAT-Lancet Commission to simultaneously promote human health and environmental sustainability. As climate change intensifies, evaluating the environmental impact of dietary patterns has become increasingly important, given their implications for public health and the environment.

Aims:
This study aimed to compare the Smart Plate and the Planetary Health Diet with the average Hungarian diet and to assess their potential impacts on health and environmental sustainability.

Methods:
The average Hungarian diet was described using data from the 2019 National Nutrition and Nutritional Status Survey (OTÁP). Average daily consumption of major food groups was calculated for the three dietary patterns. Health impacts were evaluated using optimal intake ranges defined by the Global Burden of Disease study for nine food groups, representing intake levels associated with the lowest disease risk. Environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions and land use, were estimated using data from the SHARP Indicator Database.

Results:
The Planetary Health Diet met four Global Burden of Disease optimal intake categories and therefore showed the most favorable health profile among the examined diets. Both the Smart Plate and the OTÁP-based average Hungarian diet met only one optimal intake category. In terms of environmental indicators, the OTÁP diet had the highest greenhouse gas emissions and land use, the Smart Plate showed intermediate values, and the Planetary Health Diet had the lowest environmental footprint.

Conclusion:
The Planetary Health Diet demonstrated the most advantageous combination of dietary composition for health and environmental sustainability. The Global Burden of Disease optimal intake ranges are reliable, as they are based on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and large cohort studies. The environmental footprints of diets are consistent with previous literature. These results suggest that adapting and promoting the Planetary Health Diet in Hungary could yield significant benefits for public health and environmental protection.

Funding:
No external funding supported this research.