Study Links Poor Diet to Substantial Proportion of Cardiometabolic Deaths

A recent study estimates that a substantial proportion of deaths from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes are associated with the suboptimal intake of specific foods and nutrients.

In order to estimate associations between 10 specific dietary factors and mortality due to heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes, researchers incorporated data from 8104 participants from 1999-2002 and data from 8516 participants from 2009-2012 from the National Health Nutrition Examination Surveys into a comparative risk assessment model.
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Consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains, unprocessed red meats, processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), polyunsaturated fats, seafood omega-3 fats, and sodium were assessed.

In 2012, 702,308 cardiometabolic deaths occurred, including 506,100 deaths related to heart disease, 128,294 deaths related to stroke, and 67,914 deaths related to type 2 diabetes. An estimated 318,656 cardiometabolic deaths per year were associated with suboptimal intakes of foods associated with cardiometabolic diseases. Of the 318,656 deaths, 48.6% occurred in men, 41.8% occurred in women, 64.2% occurred in young adults between 25 and 34 years of age, and 35.7% occurred in adults 75 years and older.

Researchers found that the largest number of estimated diet-related cardiometabolic deaths were associated with a high intake of sodium, processed meats and SSBs, and low intake of nuts, seeds, sea-food omega-3 fats, fruits, and vegetables.

“These results should help identify priorities, guide public health planning, and inform strategies to alter dietary habits and improve health,” the researchers concluded.

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Micha R, Peñalvo JL, Cudhea F, et al. Association between dietary factors and mortality from heart disease, sroke, and type 2 diabetes in the United States [published March 7, 2017]. JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2017.0947.