Smoking, sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, and not getting enough sleep are among the many factors commonly known for their negative effect on human health; however, none of them mentions the impact of a poor diet, according to a new study.
Lead author of the study Dr. Ashkan Afshin said, “A poor diet is ‘an equal opportunity killer,’” who explained the risks could be found irrespective of age, gender, and other demographics.
The study was recently published in a medical journal The Lancet.
The study involved an in-depth analysis conducted by nearly 130 researchers across roughly 40 countries.
The researchers found that a poor diet was behind 22 percent (10.9 million) of all adult deaths in 2017, while cardiovascular disease was the main cause followed by cancer and diabetes.
In addition to the mortality rate, the researchers found that a poor diet was responsible for 255 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
DALYs are the number of years people spent living with disabilities, which are associated with poor diets and the number of years that are lost due to premature deaths linked to poor eating.
Typically, poor diet accounts for 16 percent of adult DALYs across the world.
The study has pointed out three dietary factors, which greatly contributed to poor-diet-related deaths and DALYs; they include low whole grains consumption, high sodium intake, and low amounts of fruit in a diet. Other poor dietary habits include high consumption of red meat, processed meats, trans fats, and sugary drinks. The results indicate that the people would be benefited from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains, and plant-based proteins, and not a diet rich in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats.
