Wrong diet Cause for tens of millions of deaths

Too many people are unhealthy and endanger their life expectancy
There are certainly many people today who are looking for a healthy and balanced diet. Even so, a bad diet is still prevalent. Researchers have now found that unhealthy diets are the deciding factor in one out of every five deaths worldwide.

Researchers at the University of Washington found in their study that one-fifth of all deaths around the world are due to unhealthy diets. The physicians published the results of the Global Burden of Disease study in the journal "The Lancet".

An unhealthy diet can lead to various adverse health effects, which in the worst case lead to premature death. One in five deaths worldwide is associated with a poor diet. (Image: happy_lark / fotolia.com)

Global Burden of Disease study analyzes life expectancy worldwide
Millions of people consume food that is not healthy for the body. A diet that contains only a few whole grains, fruits, nuts and fish oils but contains a lot of salt increases the risk of premature death, explain the experts. The current Global Burden of Disease study compiled the data from all states worldwide and estimates were made for countries with insufficient data. The experts analyzed, for example, the general life expectancy, the causes and risk factors for premature death and emerging diseases.

What is the average life expectancy in most countries??
The physicians found out that people today live longer in general. Worldwide life expectancy in 2016 was 75.3 years for women and 69.8 years for men. Of all countries, Japan had the highest life expectancy, which was about 84 years. The Central African Republic had the lowest life expectancy. There were many people only about 50 years old. For comparison, life expectancy for men in the United Kingdom born in 2016 is 79, and for British women the average life expectancy is 82.9 years, the researchers explain.

Diet is a very important factor in our life expectancy
Our diet is the second highest risk factor for premature death, just behind smoking. Other high risks include diabetes-causing high blood sugar levels, high blood pressure, a high body mass index (BMI), and high cholesterol levels, say the experts. All of these factors can be associated with an unhealthy diet, although of course they can have other causes, the doctors explain.

Big challenge for the health systems
The effects of an unhealthy diet are very strong. A faulty diet is one of the really big problems in the world and affects more and more people, the researchers say. For some time, the rising obesity has attracted much attention. However, it is unclear whether politicians recognize the general threat of an unhealthy diet and react correctly to it, the experts continue to report. The unhealthy diet and associated shorter life expectancy represent a real challenge for health systems.

Most people eat too little fruit
Often the problem is seen in connection with the spread of the so-called western diet. The real explanation is not so easy. Many people generally eat too little fruit. A diet with enough fruits has many health benefits. Mostly, however, only wealthy people consume a lot of fruit, although of course there are some exceptions.

People should absolutely eat whole grain
The consumption of sugary drinks is harmful to health, which is likely to be known to most people by now. The consumption of red meat is also unhealthy, but the risk to our health is even greater if we do not consume whole grains, the scientists explain. The healthy compounds in our diet need to be carefully analyzed to better protect people's health, experts said.

72% of all deaths from non-communicable diseases involve nutrition
No country in the world is in a position to solve the problem of the effects of an unhealthy diet alone. "Our concern should therefore be to think about tackling this problem worldwide," say the experts. Seventy-two percent of non-communicable disease deaths include obesity and a poor diet. Ischemic heart disease is the leading cause of premature death worldwide, followed by lung cancer, stroke and lung disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder).

Especially at a young age people should pay attention to a healthy diet
"Our findings suggest that people generally live longer and that significant progress has been made over the past decade in reducing mortality rates from some of the world's most harmful diseases," the researchers say. Despite these advances, however, there are a plethora of problems that continue to increase. These include, for example, obesity, mental disorders and so-called substance use disorders. People should take good care of their health, especially during the early years of their lives and in middle age, in order to create the conditions for a long and healthy life, experts suggest. (As)