Eating Unhealthy Foods Can Increase Risk Of Heart Attacks, Strokes: Study

People who do not eat much of six essential nutrients have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), a study found.

Eating nuts, fruits, vegetables, whole-fat dairy products, seafood, and legumes reduces the risk of CVD, such as heart attacks and strokes. The study also discovered that there are other strategies to maintain a healthy diet, such as consuming unprocessed meats or entire grains in moderation.

Past studies have predominantly concentrated on Western countries, examining diets that combine nutrient-poor, heavily processed foods with nutrient-rich options. In contrast, this comprehensive worldwide investigation specifically targets prevalent and beneficial dietary practices.

In 2019, nearly 18 million people died from CVD, the World Health Organization estimates sa. It represented 32 per cent of all global deaths. Out of these deaths, 85 per cent were due to heart attacks and strokes. PHRI researchers and their global collaborators analyzed data from 245,000 people in 80 countries from multiple studies, the results published in the European Heart Journal on July 6 noted.

Utilizing the extensive data collected from PHRI's ongoing Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study, researchers devised a diet score. This score was subsequently employed in five separate studies, enabling the evaluation of health outcomes across various global regions and among individuals with and without previous cardiovascular disease (CVD) history.

"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.

The PURE Healthy Diet Score focused on exclusively 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." The PURE Healthy Diet Score recommends an average daily intake of Fruits at two to three servings; vegetables at two to three servings; nuts at one serving; and dairy at two servings.

The scoring system incorporates recommendations for regular consumption of legumes, typically three to four servings per week, as well as fish, typically two to three servings per week. Alternatively, individuals may opt for substitutes such as one daily serving of whole grains or one daily serving of unprocessed red meat or poultry.