A meta-analysis of data from all countries worldwide has shown that poor diets factor into 1 of every 5 deaths.
The Study
According to “Global Burden of Disease”, a recent and ongoing comprehensive study, which analyzed data from all countries in the world, poor diets factor into 1 of every 5 deaths globally.
The study found that millions of people all over the world have unhealthy diets, lacking adequate intake of whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, fish oils and with high amounts of salt.
Poor diet was the second largest variable that factored into early death, right after smoking. Other variables included high blood glucose- which could lead to diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.
Another one of the top 10 factors for early deaths, which appears to be on the rise is depression.
Comments On Poor Diets
The IHME director, Christopher Murray, commented on the findings, saying: “This is really large. It is amongst the really big problems in the world. It is a cluster that is getting worse.” He said that even though the health risk of obesity does get attention, he’s unsure that policymakers paid enough attention to health and diet. “That constellation is a really, really big challenge for health and health systems,” he said.
He said the issue is often looked at as “the spread of western diets” but he thinks it’s not as simple as that. “Take fruit, It has lots of health benefits but only very wealthy people eat a lot of fruit, with some exceptions.”
We need to look really carefully at what are the healthy compounds in diets that provide protection,” he said.
Professor John Newton, “Public Health England’s” health improvement director, said that studies have also shown how fast diet-related and obesity-related diseases are now spreading all over the world.
“I don’t think people realise how quickly the focus is shifting towards non-communicable disease [such as cancer, heart disease and stroke] and diseases that come with development, in particular related to poor diet. The numbers are quite shocking in my view,” he said.