Balanced diet and heart health: study findings

Balanced diet and health

A balanced diet is very important for a healthy life, in which fruits play an important role. A recent study found that dietary risks, such as high sodium intake, lack of fruits and lack of whole grains, contributed to 5.91 million heart disease deaths in 2023. Researchers at Beijing Children’s Hospital analyzed data from the *Global Burden of Disease Study 2023* and evaluated 13 risk factors associated with diet over 33 years. China had the highest number of deaths due to heart diseases at 13.6 lakh, while India came second with 11.1 lakh deaths. The findings of this study, published in the journal *The Innovation: Nutrition*, point to ischemic heart disease and stroke as the main consequences of poor eating habits.


Concern over rising death rate

Information received from the Big Data Center of Beijing Children’s Hospital

“Our findings suggest that improving dietary quality should be an important step in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases,” said study author Guoshuang Feng of the Big Data Center at Beijing Children’s Hospital. He also said, “Although the age-standardized mortality rate has declined due to advances in health care, the number of total deaths is still worrying.”

dietary risk factors

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Feng added, “We are among a demographic group that is becoming more sensitive to the harmful effects of diets high in salt and lacking in essential nutrients.” The researchers reported that despite advances in medicine, the overall mortality rate continues to rise, largely due to the top three list of risk factors associated with diet.


excess sodium intake

Excessive sodium intake: a threat to heart health

The study authors noted that “worldwide, excess sodium intake remains a major risk for cardiovascular disease mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).” A diet lacking in fruits and whole grains is a major risk factor for ischemic heart disease and stroke in particular. Excess sodium intake is greater in areas with upper-middle and high socio-demographic index (SDI), while the impact of fruit deficiency is more pronounced in areas with lower-middle and low SDI.

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