Wildlife trade delegation conflict, and why diet quality wins
A Trump administration appointee whose family breeds endangered lemurs for profit will lead the US delegation to this week's CITES wildlife trade meeting, prompting an ethics investigation.
4 top stories17 sources read78 articles scanned6 sides of vegan life
A Trump administration appointee whose family breeds endangered lemurs for profit will lead the US delegation to this week's CITES wildlife trade meeting, prompting an ethics investigation [74].
02
UK cultivated meat startup Meatly is scaling production to supply the pet food industry [58].
03
A crossover trial found a vegan Mediterranean diet cut its health-related environmental impact 54.5% and grocery costs 16.3% versus the traditional version [10].
04
A 32-study meta-analysis found plant-based diets only lower cancer risk when they're built on whole foods; the junk-food version nudges breast cancer risk up instead [6][35].
05
Vegans showed 23% lower total cancer risk than non-vegetarians across a pooled analysis of prospective studies [8][34].
06
LA's all-vegan Maciel's Plant-Based Butcher Shop was ranked the 5th-best sandwich shop in the entire US [78].
The movement today▲Research & Nutrition▲Wins & Culture▼Activism & AnimalsThe receipts →
The Stories: the day’s biggest developments, in the sources’ own words
01▼Activism & AnimalsStory
Interior taps official with lemur-breeding ties to lead US wildlife trade delegation
Photo: Conservation news
“In my memory, I've never seen the Animals Committee be attended by political appointees,”
Susan Lieberman, vice president of international policy, Wildlife Conservation Society · [74]
By the numbers
$220 billionthe legal global wildlife trade's estimated annual value, against up to $20 billion in illegal trade estimated by INTERPOL [74]
3scientists accompanying appointee Jenifer Chatfield to the Animals Committee meeting, versus the five or six typical for a US delegation [74]
WatchThe CITES Animals Committee meets July 13 to 17 in Geneva; the Interior Department's ethics committee has been asked to investigate Chatfield over the conflict-of-interest allegations [74].
FromConservation news
02▲Research & NutritionStory
Vegan Mediterranean diet slashes health impact and cost in crossover trial
Photo: (plant-based diet[tiab] OR vegan
By the numbers
-54.5%reduction in health-related environmental impact for the vegan Mediterranean diet versus the traditional version, by Life Cycle Assessment (p<0.01) [10]
-50.9%reduction in ecosystem impact, -43.4% in resource use [10]
16.3%lower retail grocery cost for the vegan version (p<0.05) [10]
Early"Replacing animal products with plant-based foods in a Mediterranean dietary framework can enhance environmental sustainability and reduce food costs" (OMNIVEG study authors) [10]. A controlled crossover trial, but just 14 healthy, active men, no women, a small sample that limits how far it generalizes.
From(plant-based diet[tiab] OR vegan diet[tiab] OR vegans[tiab]) AND
03▬Research & NutritionStory
Meta-analysis finds only healthful plant-based diets lower cancer risk
Wikimedia Commons / Lentil
By the numbers
17-23%lower liver cancer risk per 10-unit increase in overall and healthful plant-based diet index scores, respectively [6][35]
3%higher breast cancer risk per 10-unit increase in the unhealthful plant-based index, the sweets-and-refined-carbs version [6][35]
0.77relative risk of total cancer for vegans versus non-vegetarians, pooled across prospective studies [8][34]
Solid"Plant-based diets may reduce cancer risk, particularly when they prioritize healthful, minimally processed plant foods" (study authors, European Journal of Nutrition) [6][35]. A peer-reviewed meta-analysis of 19 cohort and 13 case-control studies, observational data that can flag a pattern but can't prove it's the diet doing the causing.
From(plant-based diet[tiab] OR vegan diet[tiab] OR vegans[tiab]) ANDRequested Evidence
04▲Wins & CultureStory
LA's all-vegan Maciel's deli ranks as 5th-best sandwich shop nationally
Photo: plant based news
“I wanted to eat something that still resembles meat, but I wanted to be vegan and also nutritious,”
Maciel, chef and co-owner, Maciel's Plant-Based Butcher Shop · [78]
750 poundsof wheat gluten and 1,200 pounds of tofu the shop uses each month to make its in-house seitan-based meats [78]
5thranked sandwich shop in the entire US, and best in California, per Only In Your State [78]
FromPlant Based News
Worth Knowing
Food & Recipes
Cook tempeh-stuffed tostones rellenos, Caribbean fried plantain cups packed with seasoned tempeh, avocado and pickled onion, from the Abuela's Plant-Based Kitchen cookbook [65].
7-Eleven's vegan-friendly lineup includes Oreos, Lay's Classic chips and a free Slurpee on the chain's July 11 anniversary [61].
Research & Nutrition
A German trial found a multinutrient supplement with 82 micrograms of daily B12 significantly improved vegans' B12 blood markers over four months [19].
An 8-week isocaloric vegan diet lowered white blood cell and lymphocyte counts compared to a meat-rich diet, evidence for an anti-inflammatory effect even in healthy adults [18].
A meta-analysis of 7 trials found plant-based diets lowered C-reactive protein by 1.13 mg/L versus omnivorous diets, though the evidence certainty was rated low [9].
A dose-response meta-analysis covering 221,380 adults linked higher plant-based diet adherence to a 26% lower risk of cognitive impairment and dementia [14].
A four-year follow-up of Brazilian cardiac patients found improving plant-based diet quality tracked with lower cholesterol and fasting glucose [2][27].
A pulse-based diet beat a lean-pork diet on visceral fat and ferritin gains in adults over 60, with TMAO unchanged in both groups [3][28].
A crossover trial found plant-based meat lowered TMAO, a cardiovascular risk marker, versus red meat, though it also modestly raised body weight [11][37].
A soy-supplemented vegan diet cut consumption of processed animal foods and tracked with weight loss and fewer severe hot flashes in postmenopausal women [1][25].
Recreational runners and lifters on a 4-week plant-based diet showed no significant performance drop against an omnivore diet across four US universities [15].
Wins & Culture
Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown doubled down on calling quinoa "what a vegan smells like," reigniting debate after fans noted she still eats meat and owns a 60-animal farm [76].
Activism & Animals
A Bornean program pays local photographers about $6 per verified orangutan sighting, logging roughly 175,000 wildlife records in a year and helping deter illegal hunting [75].
Young ravens raised in smaller family groups showed more selective interest in siblings' object play, a window into how family size shapes social development [73].
One Good Thing
In Indonesian Borneo, a program called KehatiKu started paying local villagers a few dollars for a verified photo of an orangutan in the wild, and in one year they logged around 175,000 sightings [75]. Twenty years and a billion conservation dollars couldn't stop the losses; a phone, an app, and a reason to look out for the forest instead of clearing it is already doing something a little different. It's small money and an unproven model, but it's turning the people closest to the animals into the ones watching over them.
This epic roasted garlic chili coconut tofu sandwich stars this toasty, flavor-packed chili-garlic-coconut chutney(Indian Vada Pav Chutney) that coats the tofu paired with this…
35 min4 servings30 ingredients
See the ingredients
15 ounces super firm or extra firm tofu
½ teaspoon oil
15 cloves garlic (peeled)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 to 2 tablespoons peanuts (or use more sesame seeds for nut-free)
⅓ cup dried shredded coconut
1½ tablespoons Kashmiri chili powder (or more, to taste)
½ teaspoon salt
3 to 4 tablespoons chili garlic chutney (from above)
