This diet kills more people in the world than tobacco

MADRID, April 4 (EUROPA PRESS) –

According to a new scientific study, a poor diet is responsible for more deaths worldwide than tobacco, high blood pressure or any other health risk. Consumption of low amounts of healthy foods, such as whole grains and too much unhealthy foods, including sugary drinks, is responsible for one in five deaths worldwide.

"The poor diet kills equal opportunity," says Dr. Ashkan Afshin, lead author of the study and badistant professor at the Institute of Metrics and Health Assessment ( IHME) of the University of Washington. , in the USA–. We are what we eat and the risks are people with different demographic characteristics, including their age, gender and economic status. "

Afshin, author of a global article on obesity in 2017, pointed out that today's study focuses on the effects of food on chronic health problems, such as as heart disease and diabetes, regardless of their links with obesity. More than 130 scientists from nearly 40 countries contributed to the badysis, which was published in the international medical journal "The Lancet".

Deficient diets accounted for 10.9 million deaths, or 22% of all adult deaths in 2017, with cardiovascular disease being the leading cause, followed by cancer and diabetes. They also resulted in 255 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), which is the sum of years of life lost and years lived with disability. Poor nutrition accounts for 16% of all adult DALYs worldwide.

In comparison, tobacco was badociated with 8 million deaths and high blood pressure at 10.4 million. In 2017, CVD was the leading cause of diet-related deaths (9,497,300) and DALYs (207.2 million), followed by cancer (913,100 deaths and 20.2 million DALYs), diabetes (338,700 deaths and 237 million DALY) and kidney diseases (136,600 deaths and 3.4 million DALYs).

LOW INGESTION OF CEREAL AND WHOLE FRUIT, AND SODIUM CONSOLATION

The study shows that, although the impact of individual dietary factors varies from one country to another, three dietary factors (low consumption of whole grains and fruits and high sodium intake ) were responsible for more than 50% of diet-related deaths. and 66% of DALYs. The remaining 50% of deaths and 34% of DALYs were attributed to high consumption of red meat, processed meats, sugary drinks and trans fats., among other foods.

"We emphasize the importance of low consumption of healthy foods compared to increased consumption of unhealthy foods – says Afshin – Food policies geared to promoting a diet can have a more beneficial effect than policies that advocate against unhealthy foods. " The largest differences between the current and optimal diets were observed for nuts and seeds, milk and whole grains. According to Afshin, some of these shortcomings concern producers and manufacturers of food products.

"It is urgent and urgent to change the different sectors of the food production cycle, such as cultivation, processing, packaging and marketing," said Afshin. "Our research has revealed the need for a comprehensive system intervention – foods to promote the production, distribution and consumption of healthy foods in all countries."

Professor Walter Willett, Harvard professor, co-author of the study, points out that the findings are consistent with a recent summary of randomized trials documenting the benefits of risk factors for cardiovascular disease by replacing red meat with sources of protein. "Therefore, the adoption of diets that focus on soy-based foods, beans and other sources of healthy vegetable protein will have significant benefits for human and global health" , did he declare.

Although sodium, sugar and lipids have been at the center of food policy debates in recent years, the badessment shows that the main risk factors for death are diets high in sodium and low in whole grains. low in fruits, low in nuts and seeds and low in vegetables. Each of these cases accounts for more than 2% of all deaths worldwide.

Among the 20 most populous countries in the world, Egypt had the highest rate of dietary mortality (552 per 100,000) and the DALY rate (11,837 per 100,000) in 2017; Japan had the lowest dietary mortality rate (97 per 100,000) and DALYs (2,300 per 100,000).