The summary provided focuses on the health benefits of reducing meat consumption. It highlights the positive impact of reducing meat intake on various aspects of health, including cardiovascular health, weight management, and environmental sustainability. **Detailed Text:**

The increasing awareness of the health implications of meat consumption has led many to explore alternative dietary approaches. Reducing meat consumption, while not necessarily eliminating it entirely, has emerged as a promising strategy for improving overall health.

This analysis suggested that eating more raw vegetables was more likely responsible for the weight loss observed, rather than genetic predisposition. The team identified genetic variants linked to factors like plant-based diets and vegetable consumption by analyzing genetic data from a public database. Although randomized controlled trials can’t definitively prove that eating raw vegetables directly leads to better health, the researchers conducted a second analysis using Mendelian randomization, a method better suited to identifying cause-and-effect relationships in health. However, studies involving higher consumption of raw vegetables showed the strongest connection to reduced risks of obesity and heart disease. While participants following strictly vegan diets experienced the greatest weight loss, it wasn’t much higher than those who still consumed dairy and eggs.

The research team reviewed 24 studies on plant-based diets and weight loss, analyzing data from 2,223 individuals aged 18 to 82, with diet durations ranging from two to 96 weeks, and found that the benefits of plant-based diets tend to increase over time. The researchers note that raw vegetables contain compounds like phytosterols and unsaturated fats that help reduce blood cholesterol levels. They also highlight substances such as tocopherols, ascorbate, carotenoids, saponins and flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. While increasing raw vegetable intake can improve health, avoiding taking a fully raw plant-based approach too far is important, as this can result in nutrient deficiencies.

* **Focus on vegetables:** The research suggests that incorporating more vegetables into the diet is more beneficial than adopting a strictly vegan lifestyle. * **Veganism and health:** While veganism has gained popularity, there is limited research on its long-term health effects. * **Dietary diversity:** A diverse diet, including vegetables, is crucial for overall health and well-being.

— Haley Bishoff Courtney Pelitera, MS, RD, CNSC, registered dietitian specializing in sports nutrition and wellness nutrition, said, “this study is very interesting in that it is a Mendelian randomization study, which considers the genetic variants as exposure to help consider the outcomes.” “It looked specifically at randomized control trials that compared plant-based diets to animal-based diets and weight loss. Studies were excluded if they included physical activity. This is definitely a topic that needs further research to be definitive on the outcomes of plant-based diets when associated with weight and ASCVD,” she said.