Poor diet is responsible for more deaths worldwide than any other cause, according to a new study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal, The Lancet.
The Global Burden of Disease Study said an unhealthy or a poor diet accounted for 1 in 5, or 11 million, adult deaths in 2017. Some 10 million of these deaths were caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD). The other deaths were mainly from cancer and type 2 diabetes.
CVD includes coronary artery diseases such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, heart failure, rheumatic heart disease, hypertensive heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart arrhythmia, congenital heart disease, peripheral artery disease, thromboembolic disease, valvular heart disease, carditis, aortic aneurysms, and venous thrombosis.
The 11 million deaths per year are more than the number of fatalities linked to smoking and high blood pressure. Of these total deaths, 10 million were from heart disease, 913,000 were from obesity-related cancers, and nearly 339,000 from type 2 diabetes.
Researchers analyzed the diets of people in 195 countries and estimated the impact of poor diet on the risk of death from diseases. The country with the lowest rate of diet-related deaths was Israel with 89 deaths per 100,000 people, while Uzbekistan was the highest with 892 deaths per 100,000 people.
The United States (171 deaths per 100,000) was at the 43rd place and the United Kingdom (127 deaths per 100,000) at 23rd. India is 118th and China, 140th.
"Poor dietary habits, which is a combination of high intake of unhealthy foods, such as red meat, processed meat, and sugar-sweetened beverages and a low intake of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, and seeds, overall causes more deaths than any other risk factors globally," said Ashkan Afshin, a study researcher from the University of Washington.
Researchers said countries that did well generally have diets close to the Mediterranean diet, which has higher amounts of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and healthy oils.
Researchers said the study highlights the importance of a healthy diet in preventing illnesses and death. They said the consumption of a healthy diet needs to be added to policy debates by the government.
"This study provides a comprehensive picture of the potential impact of suboptimal diet on NCD mortality and morbidity, highlighting the need for improving diet across nations," said the study. "Our findings will inform implementation of evidence-based dietary interventions and provide a platform for evaluation of their impact on human health annually."
