Plant-Based Diet and Risk of Sepsis: A 16-Year Follow-Up Study
Authors' conclusion
Adherence to a healthy plant-based diet was associated with a lower risk of sepsis, whereas adherence to an unhealthy plant-based diet was associated with an increased risk, independently of other traditional risk factors.
Study context
- Population
- UK Biobank participants4,031 incident sepsis cases
- Participants
- 180,442 participants
- Exposure
- Greater vs lower adherence to plant-based diet indices
- Outcome
- Risk of sepsis
- Follow-up
- Median 13 years
Methodological detailslarge-scale, UK Biobank, multivariable-adjusted Cox regression
- Large-scale
- UK Biobank
- Multivariable-adjusted Cox regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Hazard ratio (95% CI)P value
PDI
0.87(0.79–0.96)
P = 0.003for trendhPDI
0.84(0.77–0.93)
P < 0.001for trenduPDI
1.15(1.05–1.27)
P < 0.001for trendObservational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Stratified and sensitivity analyses
- Associations generally consistent across stratified and sensitivity analyses
Mediation via metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers (incl. BMI, C-reactive protein)
- Proportion of hPDI–sepsis association mediated
- 2.5-31.6%
- Proportion of uPDI–sepsis association mediated
- 1.7-13.7%
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Plant-Based Diet and Risk of Sepsis: A 16-Year Follow-Up Study. Crit Care Med. Published 1 June 2026. doi:10.
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