Published 29th July 2026
Plant diversity: Does it really matter for health? New ZOE study
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Research over decades has shown that a plant-rich diet is associated with better health and a reduced risk of a wide range of chronic conditions.
Aside from the number of plants, at ZOE, we believe plant diversity is also important for health, which is why we recommend aiming for 30 different plants per week.
Studies suggest that eating a diverse range of plants can positively impact health (beyond quantity alone) by providing a variety of plant-based nutrients, including fiber, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols.
The quantity of plants remains important, but the latest research shows that increasing diversity may provide additional health benefits.
A paper from the American Gut Project, published in 2018, concluded that people who ate 30 or more plants had more diverse gut microbiomes.
However, overall, the research into the benefits of consuming diverse plants is still in the early stages. So, ZOE's scientists decided to investigate. Below, we outline what they did, what they found, and what it means for you.
Excitingly, we recently presented these findings at Nutrition 2026, the American Society for Nutrition's flagship annual meeting.
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What did we do?
Our researchers took data from 1,131 participants in our PREDICT 3 study. For each person, we had detailed information about their diet.
They also completed questionnaires, which captured information such as BMI, age, sex, and ethnicity.
Additionally, we analyzed their gut microbiome and had a record of blood markers, including their HDL (good) cholesterol levels.
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What did we find?
On average, participants consumed 9.6 different plants per day, and 28 per week.
We found that people who had higher plant diversity had better diet quality, as measured by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI).
The HEI is a commonly used tool that assesses how well someone’s diet aligns with recommendations set out in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Our analysis also showed that plant diversity was associated with fiber intake: The higher someone’s plant diversity, the more fiber they were consuming.
Importantly, when looking at health measures, we found that higher plant diversity was associated with:
higher HDL (good) cholesterol
higher ZOE gut microbiome score
lower BMI
The analysis showed that each extra, different plant consumed per week was associated with a BMI that was around 0.1 points lower.
As an example, if someone ate 10 plants per week and had a BMI of 50, we would expect that someone who ate 20 plants per week would have a BMI of 49.
This relationship between BMI and plant diversity held true up to 43 plants per week. After that point, it plateaued.
What does it mean?
These results support what we’ve been saying all along. Consuming a diverse range of plants each week is associated with lower BMI, more favorable blood lipid levels, and a healthier gut microbiome.
These results are just the beginning — ZOE scientists are continuing to dive into this exciting area of research to uncover the full benefits of consuming a more diverse range of plants. Watch this space!
