Foods are essential for every living thing to survive. Without it, the body will have no way to survive since these foods act as gasoline that gives off energy. Unfortunately, most of the food and drinks that people consume nowadays have a very high salt and sugar content, which could do more harm than good to the body. New research published in The Lancet shows another reason why everyone must limit consuming these kinds of foods.
In the study conducted, the researchers found out that over 4 million people die every year because of choosing the wrong foods to consume, as reported by Body and Soul. The experts were able to dig deep into the study by analyzing two decades worth of data from over 190 countries. Several diseases were considered as well, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and type II diabetes.
The experts behind the study blame the kind of health our people have to the food that is available in the market nowadays. "The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages was far higher than the optimal intake," states by the researchers of the study. Most people eat 90 percent more salt and sugar than their body can take.
Aside from consuming high sugar and salt content frequently, there is another thing that the researchers found that hinders the body to be healthy. By not eating enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, the body will not be able to receive the sufficient nutrition it needs.
"We found that improvement of diet could potentially prevent one in every five deaths globally," the researchers include in their findings. Given this, they encourage more people to change their lifestyle and choose a healthy diet instead.
One of the best diets experts recommend is the Mediterranean diet, which often includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains, herbs, and spices. Considered as the healthiest diet in the world by the 2019 Bloomberg Healthy Country Index, one of the best things about this diet is that it is low in saturated and trans fats, which can increase the risks of cardiovascular diseases, as posted by Mayo Clinic.
"Our findings show that, unlike many other risk factors, dietary risks affected people regardless of age, sex, and sociodemographic development of their place of residence," the researchers added. Given this, experts emphasized that this warning goes to everyone. If you want to live longer, better choose healthy foods.
