Good food kills: Malnutrition kills 4 million people every year

A study of 204 countries links lack of grains, nuts and omega-6 with increased cardiovascular mortality;Spain has managed to reduce its impact by 45% since 1990

FOOD WEIGHT

Bad eating causes death: four million deaths a year from heart failure

A 204-country study linked whole grains, nuts, and omega-6 deficiency to increased cardiovascular mortality worldwide;Spain has managed to reduce the impact by 45% since 1990

From what you eat, you grow, better and worse.The words of the Castilian classic are consistent with this case at the end of a complete analysis published in the journal 'Nature Medicine', which monitored food and cardiovascular health in 204 countries over the last three decades.The data is remarkable: in 2023 alone, a suitable diet (that is, with some vegetables, fruits or grains) is associated with 4.06 million deaths from coronary heart disease worldwide.

The study, part of the Global Burden of Disease Project, shows that poor nutrition not only shortens life, but also destroys quality years.Last year, the effects of poor nutrition at a record high resulted in the loss of nearly 97 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).

The research examines 13 key nutritional factors, from fresh food consumption to excess sodium, and outlines a global map where putative malnutrition and an oversupply of ultra-processed foods coexist as two sides of the same coin.

The Case of Spain: Light and Shadow

Spain's participation in the study, through institutions such as CNIC or the San Carlos Clinical Hospital in Madrid, proposes a change that requires optimism.According to the disaggregated data report, my country has followed the trend in Western Europe and has reduced food-related heart disease mortality by 45.2% since 1990.This is largely because a classic risk factor sign is a history of following a conservative diet.

Progress in Spain, with participation through the CNIC or San Carlos Clinical Hospital, encourages moderate optimism.

However, the researchers warn that there is no room for complacency - despite significant statistical improvements, ischemic heart disease continues to be the main cause of death in Spain, which is linked to reversible risk factors.

A super-processed authoritarian regime

The geography of cardiovascular risk has changed dramatically.While regions such as Western Europe, Australia and North America have been able to reduce deaths – in part due to greater awareness and better health systems – other regions are going the other way.In central sub-Saharan Africa, nutrition-related mortality increased by 20% over the same period.

Researcher Min Seo Kim, from Massachusetts General Hospital and lead author of the study, points out that there is a clear gap between countries in terms of development."As long as developing countries offer malnutrition and limited access to food security, developed countries are more affected by excessive consumption of harmful components," explains Kim.Among these, processed foods and sodium are prominent.

What is missing and what remains

One of the most relevant findings is that heart health is affected not only by what we eat the most, but primarily by what we ignore.Lack of whole grains, low consumption of omega-6 fatty acids (found in vegetable and seed oils) and lack of nuts ranked as the leading cause of death over trans fats.

"Developing countries are facing food shortages, developing countries are facing overeating"

Min Seo Kim

Massachusetts General Hospital

This lack of "protective food" leads to a condition of arterial sensitivity, which sodium is responsible for treating.For Dong Keon Yeon, a researcher at Seoul's Kyunghee University and co-author of the paper, these results underscore the need for more aggressive public policy."Concrete actions are needed to address the low intake of protective foods and the high consumption of harmful ingredients," says Yon, who emphasizes that interventions cannot be one-size-fits-all, but tailored to reality.each region.

Change the model

Despite the large number of figures, the authors maintain the necessary scientific caution, remembering that the work is based on observational data.However, the message is clear that diet is the most important modifiable risk factor to stop the increase in heart attacks and angina that have been recorded in the past two decades.

Diet is the most important modifiable risk factor for heart disease and angina

The study concluded that it is not enough to ask patients to "eat less";The current public health issue is to ensure that people can "eat better".The presence of polyunsaturated fats and fiber from whole grains is shown to be a preventive measure that is cheaper and more effective than prescribed drugs when the damage is irreversible.