Poor Diets Linked to Deaths Worldwide: Time

Healthy diets could reduce chronic disease and prevent one in five premature deaths globally, reports a study for the Lancet. “The sweeping review – which analyzed nearly 20 years of dietary data from 195 countries, alongside epidemiological studies about nutrition-related health risks and benefits estimates that poor diets killed 11 million people around the world in 2017, mostly by contributing to cardiovascular disease and cancer,” reports Jamie Ducharme for Time. “Poor diets – which include those that are too heavy in sugary drinks, trans fats and processed meats, and too light in whole grains, produce and nuts – were associated with death and disease all over the world.” The study found that no region in the world features an optimal diet of 15 dietary elements in correct amounts.” The study suggests that excessive sodium is the leading culprit, followed by trans-fats. People should eat more whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables, polyunsaturated fats and legumes. Increasingly, researchers emphasize that the food is linked to good physical and mental health. – YaleGlobal