A study by researchers from McMaster University's Population Health Institute (PHRI) and Hamilton Health Sciences found that insufficient intake of six key nutrients increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults.
Eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, and whole dairy products is key to reducing the risk of CVD, including heart attacks and strokes. Research has shown that healthy eating habits can be achieved in several ways. For example, include moderate amounts of whole grains or lean meats.
Previous and similar research has focused on Western countries and diets that combine nutrients with healthy, highly processed foods. This research was global and focused on foods considered healthy.
The World Health Organization estimated that 18 million people died from CVD in 2019, representing 32% of deaths worldwide. 85% of these deaths are due to heart attacks and strokes. PHRI researchers and their international partners analyzed data from 245,000 people in 80 countries across multiple studies. The results were published July 6 in the European Heart Journal .
Researchers obtained dietary results from PHRI's ongoing Large Global Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study, which were then replicated in five independent studies in different regions of the world to measure health outcomes in people with and without pre-existing CVD.
"Previous diet outcomes, the EAT-Lancet Planetary Diet and the Mediterranean Diet, examined the association of diet with cardiovascular disease and mortality in predominantly Western countries. The PURE Healthy Diet Score includes a good representation of high, mid and mid levels. Salim Yusuf, lead author and lead researcher of PURE, said:
In addition to being truly universal, PURE Healthy Diet results target specific protective or natural foods.
“We were unique in this discovery. One of the nutritional implications is that foods and nutrients thought to be harmful, such as processed and highly processed foods, are thought to be protective of health,” said PHRI scientist and first author Andrew Mente. McMaster Health Research Methods, Evidence and Implications.
“Recently, a lot of attention has been paid to the use of preventive foods to prevent disease. In addition to fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, moderation in the consumption of natural foods is important”, explain the researchers.
“Moderate amounts of fish and whole dairy products are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and death. Similar health effects can be achieved by eating moderate amounts of grains and meats, as long as they are unrefined whole grains and unprocessed meats. »
The PURE Healthy Eating unit recommends an average daily consumption of two to three servings of fruit; Vegetables two or three times; Fruit per serving; and dairy products in both meals. The results are three to four servings of grain per week and two to three servings of fish per week. Possible substitutions include whole grains once a day and red meat or unprocessed poultry once a day.
There was no separate funding for this analysis, although the data provided by each study was funded separately and conducted over a 25-year period.