# The Balance of Health

> Evidence about how food affects the environment, animals and our health. Plain answers, inspectable sources, honest about uncertainty.

Evidence strength describes support and uncertainty, not a true/false verdict. Each record retains its limitations, methods and original-source references. Only records marked reviewed are included; an empty export does not mean the website has no research.

[Methodology](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/methodology)
[Statistics index](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/evidence/statistics) — includes status-labelled records; downloads are reviewed-only.
[Calculator assumptions](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/evidence/calculator-assumptions)
[Felt-unit factors](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/evidence/felt-units)
[Licence](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/licence) — CC BY 4.0 applies to our reviewed evidence summaries, not third-party publications or images.

## Reviewed records (17)

- [Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/beef-produces-far-more-emissions-than-plant-proteins): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/beef-produces-far-more-emissions-than-plant-proteins.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/beef-produces-far-more-emissions-than-plant-proteins.json)
- [Poore & Nemecek estimate livestock uses 83% of the world's agricultural land while supplying under a fifth of its calories.](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/livestock-uses-most-farmland-for-a-minority-of-calories): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/livestock-uses-most-farmland-for-a-minority-of-calories.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/livestock-uses-most-farmland-for-a-minority-of-calories.json)
- [More than three-quarters of the world's soy is fed to livestock; only around 7% is eaten directly by people.](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/most-soy-is-fed-to-animals-not-people): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/most-soy-is-fed-to-animals-not-people.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/most-soy-is-fed-to-animals-not-people.json)
- [Well-managed grazing can store some carbon in soil, but not enough to offset cattle's own emissions, and grass-fed beef generally has higher emissions per kg than grain-finished beef.](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/grass-fed-beef-remains-high-impact): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/grass-fed-beef-remains-high-impact.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/grass-fed-beef-remains-high-impact.json)
- [Vegetarian and vegan diets are associated with lower cholesterol and around a quarter lower relative risk of ischaemic heart disease.](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/plant-based-diets-are-linked-to-lower-heart-disease-risk): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/plant-based-diets-are-linked-to-lower-heart-disease-risk.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/plant-based-diets-are-linked-to-lower-heart-disease-risk.json)
- [A well-planned vegan diet is associated with lower risk of several chronic diseases, but the evidence does not show a clear difference in overall mortality, and poorly planned vegan diets carry nutritional risks.](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/is-a-vegan-diet-healthier-overall): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/is-a-vegan-diet-healthier-overall.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/claims/is-a-vegan-diet-healthier-overall.json)
- [Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/poore-nemecek-2018-reducing-food-environmental-impacts): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/poore-nemecek-2018-reducing-food-environmental-impacts.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/poore-nemecek-2018-reducing-food-environmental-impacts.json)
- [Global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are twice those of plant-based foods](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/xu-2021-global-ghg-emissions-animal-plant-foods): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/xu-2021-global-ghg-emissions-animal-plant-foods.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/xu-2021-global-ghg-emissions-animal-plant-foods.json)
- [FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products — producing animals / slaughtered](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/fao-faostat-livestock-primary-production): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/fao-faostat-livestock-primary-production.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/fao-faostat-livestock-primary-production.json)
- [Soy](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/ritchie-2021-soy-drivers-of-deforestation): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/ritchie-2021-soy-drivers-of-deforestation.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/ritchie-2021-soy-drivers-of-deforestation.json)
- [Defining and assessing animal pain](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/sneddon-2014-defining-and-assessing-animal-pain): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/sneddon-2014-defining-and-assessing-animal-pain.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/sneddon-2014-defining-and-assessing-animal-pain.json)
- [Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/dinu-2017-vegetarian-vegan-diets-and-multiple-health-outcomes): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/dinu-2017-vegetarian-vegan-diets-and-multiple-health-outcomes.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/dinu-2017-vegetarian-vegan-diets-and-multiple-health-outcomes.json)
- [Effects of vegetarian diets on blood lipids: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/wang-2015-vegetarian-diets-blood-lipids-meta-analysis): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/wang-2015-vegetarian-diets-blood-lipids-meta-analysis.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/wang-2015-vegetarian-diets-blood-lipids-meta-analysis.json)
- [How prevalent is vitamin B12 deficiency among vegetarians?](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/pawlak-2013-prevalence-of-b12-deficiency-among-vegetarians): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/pawlak-2013-prevalence-of-b12-deficiency-among-vegetarians.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/pawlak-2013-prevalence-of-b12-deficiency-among-vegetarians.json)
- [Reducing climate impacts of beef production: a synthesis of life cycle assessments across management systems and global regions](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/cusack-2021-reducing-climate-impacts-of-beef-production): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/cusack-2021-reducing-climate-impacts-of-beef-production.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/cusack-2021-reducing-climate-impacts-of-beef-production.json)
- [Grazed and Confused? Ruminating on cattle, grazing systems, methane, nitrous oxide, the soil carbon sequestration question](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/garnett-2017-grazed-and-confused): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/garnett-2017-grazed-and-confused.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/garnett-2017-grazed-and-confused.json)
- [Aqueduct 4.0: Updated decision-relevant global water risk indicators](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/wri-aqueduct-water-risk-atlas-2023): [Markdown](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/wri-aqueduct-water-risk-atlas-2023.md), [JSON](https://thebalanceofhealth.com/sources/wri-aqueduct-water-risk-atlas-2023.json)