Climate Change and Human Health: An Exploratory Study on Rising Temperatures and Changing Dietary Habits in Europe with a Particular Focus on Italian Cuisine

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a major determinant of human health, influencing both environmental conditions and lifestyle-related risk factors. Within this context, dietary patterns play a pivotal role because they affect chronic disease outcomes while also shaping the environmental footprint of food systems. This study provides a descriptive comparison between temperature trends, dietary habits, and diabetes prevalence across four European macro-regions (Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern Europe) through a One Health perspective, with a specific focus on Italy following the recent UNESCO recognition of Italian cuisine as Intangible Cultural Heritage. The analysis combines climate data derived from the ERA5 reanalysis, diabetes prevalence data from the International Diabetes Federation, and food consumption indicators from FAOSTAT. Regional dietary patterns were assessed against the Planetary Health Diet (PHD) framework to evaluate their alignment with sustainable nutrition principles. Results indicate that Southern Europe shows the closest adherence to PHD recommendations, while Western Europe exhibits the largest deviation. Across Europe, dietary patterns remain characterized by excessive consumption of animal-derived products and insufficient intake of legumes and nuts. At the same time, Southern Europe shows both the most pronounced warming and the greatest increase in diabetes prevalence, whereas in the other macro-areas this pattern is not replicated. Italy presents a comparatively more balanced dietary profile and lower diabetes prevalence than the Southern European average, although important gaps remain with respect to sustainable dietary targets. These findings motivate further investigation of climate, health, and food systems. Promoting dietary transitions inspired by sustainable and culturally rooted food practices may contribute simultaneously to reducing environmental pressures and improving population health. The study emphasizes the relevance of integrating environmental sustainability and social sustainability dimensions, including cultural heritage, food traditions, and public well-being, within future strategies addressing climate change adaptation and chronic disease prevention.