The NHS would save £6.7billion a year if everyone adopted a fully plant-based diet, a study for the Vegan Society suggests.
Researchers said cutting out meat and dairy could lead to 2.1million fewer cases of disease, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
And the reduced poor health would improve people’s quality of life, equal to a gain of 170,000 quality-adjusted life years across the population.
The financial savings would be enough to fund seven hospitals or to cover the annual salaries of 64,990 consultants or 184,920 nurses, it adds.
The findings are published in a report by the Office of Health Economics, which was commissioned by the Vegan Society.
Researchers said cutting out meat and dairy could lead to 2.1million fewer cases of disease, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes
The campaign group said the results should prompt the government to promote vegan diets through public health campaigns.
But critics last night [SUN] accused the activists of trying to ‘force their preferences on others’ in a ‘fundamental attack on freedom of choice’.
And they highlighted recent studies that found vegan diets are not necessarily healthier and can be highly processed.
Report author Dr Chris Sampson, from the Office of Health Economics, a research and consultancy company, said: ‘There is now compelling evidence that plant-based diets can benefit people’s health.
‘Our analysis takes a significant step towards understanding how dietary choices impact population health and NHS expenditure overall.
‘For every million people making the switch to a vegan diet the anticipated reduction in illness could save the NHS a staggering £121million.’
Claire Ogley, head of campaigns, policy and research at the Vegan Society, said: ‘It’s encouraging to see increasing evidence that plant-based diets can be not only beneficial to individual health but could also benefit the NHS on a bigger scale.
‘As the report illustrates, wider uptake of plant-based diets could free up billions of pounds of funding to invest back into England’s hospitals and services.
The NHS website says that in order to have a ‘healthy, balanced diet’, people should try to ‘eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein’
‘Policymakers should consider supporting and encouraging plant-based diets as part of public health campaigns to realise these benefits to the health service in the UK.’
The Vegan Society said the uptake of vegan diets has increased dramatically in recent years, with those making the switch citing various reasons, including perceived health benefits, reduced environmental impact, and improved animal welfare.
It said the transition to a vegan diet is an opportunity to consume more health-promoting plant foods, such as whole grains, nuts, legumes, fruits and vegetables whilst excluding the saturated fat and cholesterol found in meat, milk and eggs.
However, the NHS website says that in order to have a ‘healthy, balanced diet’, people should try to ‘eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein’.
A study of 1,868 meals last week found that vegan fast-food typically contains less protein and sodium and higher levels of carbohydrates and sugar as their meaty counterparts.
The Vegan Society said the uptake of vegan diets has increased dramatically in recent years
Mo Metcalf Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, said: ‘Yet again, advocates of a plant-based diet are attempting to force their preferences on others in what can only be described a fundamental attack on freedom of choice.
‘Recent studies show that plant-based alternatives are certainly not always healthier and can be highly processed.
‘Meat and dairy offer a range of health benefits as part of a balanced diet – a diet enjoyed by the majority of the UK population.
‘The NHS is right to continue to provide patients with a range of healthy options rather than bowing to pressure groups who want to strip away the right to personal choice.’
