Not Eating Enough of These Six Foods May Land You in the Grave

Did you know that not eating enough of certain foods in combination can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death? Not eating fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, and whole-fat dairyproducts can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a recent study by McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences researchers at the Population Research Health Institute (PHRI) (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Diet, cardiovascular disease, and mortality in 80 countries

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Fruits, Veggies, Legumes, Nuts, Fish, and Whole-Fat Dairy Can Reduce Heart Attacks

Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, and whole-fat dairy products are essential for lowering the risk of CVD, which includes heart attacks and strokes. The study also discovered that a healthy diet can be attained in a variety of ways, such as by eating moderate amounts of whole grains or lean meats.

Previous and comparable studies concentrated on Western countries and diets that blended hazardous, ultra-processed meals with nutrient-dense foods. This study had a global reach and focused on foods that are usually thought to be healthful (2^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems

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Cardiovascular Diseases are the Leading Cause of Death

According to the World Health Organization, almost 18 million people died from CVD in 2019, accounting for 32% of all global deaths (3^✔ ✔Trusted Source
Cardiovascular diseases

Go to source). Heart attacks and strokes were responsible for 85% of these deaths.

PHRI researchers and their global collaborators analyzed data from numerous studies involving 245,000 people from 80 countries. The findings were reported in the European Heart Journal.

The diet score was established from the PHRI's ongoing, large-scale worldwide Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) investigation, which was subsequently duplicated in five separate studies to measure health outcomes in diverse world areas and in adults with and without prior CVD.

"Previous diet scores—including the EAT-Lancet Planetary Diet and the Mediterranean Diet tested the relationship of diet to CVD and death mainly in Western countries. The PURE Healthy Diet Score included a good representation of high, middle, and low-income countries," said Salim Yusuf, senior author and principal investigator of PURE.

In addition to being fully worldwide, the PURE Healthy Diet Score focused solely on protective, or natural, foods.

"We were unique in that focus. The other diet scores combined foods considered to be harmful—such as processed and ultra-processed foods—with foods and nutrients believed to be protective of one's health," said first author Andrew Mente, PHRI scientist and assistant professor at McMaster's Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact.

"There is a recent increased focus on higher consumption of protective foods for disease prevention. Outside of larger amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, the researchers showed that moderation is key in the consumption of natural foods," he said.

"Moderate amounts of fish and whole-fat dairy are associated with a lower risk of CVD and mortality. The same health outcomes can be achieved with moderate consumption of grains and meats—as long as they are unrefined whole grains and unprocessed meats."

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Recommendations of the PURE Healthy Diet Score

Average Daily Intake

• Fruits: 2-3 servings daily
• Vegetables: 2-3 servings daily
• Nuts: One serving daily
• Dairy: Two servings daily

Weekly Servings

• Legumes: 3-4 weekly servings
• Fish: 2-3 weekly servings

Possible Substitutes

• Whole Grains: One serving daily
• Unprocessed red meat or poultry: One serving daily

References:

1. Diet, cardiovascular disease, and mortality in 80 countries - (https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/eurheartj/ehad269/7192512)
2. Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems - (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)31788-4/fulltext)
3. Cardiovascular diseases - (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cardiovascular-diseases)

Source-Medindia