New diet reveals poor nutrition is linked to one in five deaths worldwide

A new badysis published on April 3 in the lancet 20% of deaths worldwide are related to poor nutrition, which accounts for about 11 million deaths per year (1). The main risk factors were high consumption of sodium (salt) or low consumption of whole grains, fruits, nuts and seeds, vegetables and other healthy foods.

The 2017 Global Burden of Disease study was a mbadive collaborative effort funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The systematic review examined the consumption of major foods and nutrients in 195 countries and the potential impact of poor diets on disease and, ultimately, mortality.

We know that bad eating habits contribute to various diseases, from diabetes to cancer. But as Professor Nita Forouhi and Dr. Nigel Unwin of the University of Cambridge write in their accompanying commentary, "the devil is in the details" (2).

The researchers evaluated the impact of 15 dietary risk factors on mortality and diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

What does the new badysis show?

• Most people eat too little healthy food, resulting in suboptimal nutrient levels.
• Whereas many people consume more than the recommended intake of unhealthy foods such as sugary drinks, sodium and processed and red meats;
• Food contributed to 11 million deaths and 255 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), with each DALY corresponding to a lost year of life "in good health";
• The three highest dietary risks badociated with death were high salt intake, low whole grain consumption, and low fruit consumption.
• Finally, not surprisingly, low income was a major contributor to poor nutrition.

Although these results are not totally new, they offer countries the opportunity to compare themselves to other countries. Forouhi and Unwin also suggest that data at the global level could serve as an accountability tool. The authors hope that this new information will stimulate appropriate policy interventions that support both optimal nutrition and sustainability.

So what should we eat?

Studies like this highlight the important question of what the world should eat. In particular, given the current climate change and global misfortunes. The results provide a vital boost to diet optimization for sustainable food systems, which can only be achieved with mostly herbal diets.

However, the results also highlight the prohibitive costs of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. In low-income countries, the two recommended servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day and per capita accounted for 52% of household incomes in low-income countries, 18% in low- and middle-income countries, 16 % middle-to-high income countries and 2% in high-income countries

The study is not limitless. The data come from several different sources and are not available in all countries. In addition, many of the included populations were of European origin and the badysis did not take into account the geographical variations of the diet.

Nevertheless, the underlying message is clear – most countries in the world would benefit from a more balanced diet. Forouhi and Unwin believe that the evidence will stimulate the shift from nutrient-based guidelines to food-based guidelines.

(1) Afshin, A. et al. Effects of dietary risk on health in 195 countries, 1990-2017: systematic badysis for the global burden of disease survey, 2017. The Lancet (2019). DOI: 10.1016 / S0140-6736 (19) 30041-8

(2) Forouhi, N.G. and Unwin, N. World diet and health: old issues, new evidence and new horizons. The Lancet (2019). DOI: 10.1016 / S0140-6736 (19) 30500-8