The Study
We have known for
decades that our dietary choices can positively or negatively impact our
long-term risk of chronic disease. A
recently published meta-analysis summarizes the results from hundreds of
studies that investigated the association between different food groups and all-cause
mortality. The results were interesting:
Foods that
reduced risk of mortality
1 serving per day
of nuts reduced risk of mortality by 15%
1 serving per day
of legumes reduced risk of mortality by 10%
1 serving per day
of whole grains reduced risk of mortality by 9%
1 serving per day
of fish reduced risk of mortality by 7%
1 serving per day
of vegetables reduced risk of mortality by 6%
1 serving per day
of fruits reduced risk of mortality by 6%
Foods that
increased risk of mortality
1 serving per day
of red meat increased risk of mortality by 16%
1 serving per day
of processed meat increased risk of mortality by 12%
1 serving per day
of sugar sweetened beverages increased risk of mortality by 7%
1 serving per day
of eggs increased risk of mortality by 7%
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2017; 105:1462-73.
Take Home Message
The take home
message here is pretty simple: eat more of the foods that decrease mortality risk
and less of the foods that increase it.
It is easy to focus solely on results when you are trying to lose weight
and lose sight of the long-term health consequences of your dietary
choices. Many popular fad diets are guilty
of this. The goal is to eat in a way
that helps you lose weight and reduces
your long-term risk of chronic disease. This way you’ll have a lot longer to
enjoy your fit new body!
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