Eating these 6 foods will protect you from heart disease, stroke, and death.
People who miss six key foods from their diet are more likely to face heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
Nuts, whole-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, fish, and legumes are the key foods to reduce cardiovascular disease and death risk, global research has found.
Diets containing higher amounts of these key foods together are associated with reduced risk of major cardiovascular events including heart attack (myocardial infarction) and stroke, and death.
The study also suggests a moderate daily amount of whole grains (e.g. one slice of bread) or unprocessed meat (e.g. 85 grams of red meat or poultry) can be part of a healthy diet.
Past studies on Western diets reveal the negative impact of calorie-dense foods and ultra-processed foods on people’s health.
This study focused on the positive impact of healthy foods on heart disease and premature deaths from cardiovascular events.
It is estimated that cardiovascular disease kills 18 million people each year, 32 percent of all global deaths.
Reports show that 85 percent of these death were related to heart attacks and strokes.
The research team tailored a diet score to measure health outcomes using available data from 245,000 people in 80 countries.
Professor Salim Yusuf, the study’s senior author, said:
“Previous diet scores—including the EAT-Lancet Planetary Diet and the Mediterranean Diet tested the relationship of diet to CVD and death mainly in Western countries.
The PURE Healthy Diet Score included a good representation of high, middle, and low-income countries.”
The PURE Healthy Diet Score concentrated on natural foods that are nutritious and have health benefits and are also consumed worldwide.
Dr Andrew Mente, the study’s first author, said:
“We were unique in that focus.
The other diet scores combined foods considered to be harmful—such as processed and ultra-processed foods—with foods and nutrients believed to be protective of one’s health.
There is a recent increased focus on higher consumption of protective foods for disease prevention.
Outside of larger amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, the researchers showed that moderation is key in the consumption of natural foods.
Moderate amounts of fish and whole-fat dairy are associated with a lower risk of CVD and mortality.
The same health outcomes can be achieved with moderate consumption of grains and meats—as long as they are unrefined whole grains and unprocessed meats.
Dietary recommendations
- Fruits: 2 to 3 servings daily; a serving example includes 1 apple, banana, or pear.
- Vegetables: 2 to 3 servings daily; a serving example includes 1 cup leafy vegs, or 1/2 cup other vegs.
- Dairy: 2 servings daily; a serving example includes 1 cup milk or yogurt, or 1.5 oz (43 g) cheese.
- Nuts: 1 serving daily; a serving example includes 1 oz (29 g) tree nuts or peanuts.
- Legumes: 3 to 4 servings weekly; a serving example includes 1/2 cup beans or lentils.
- Fish: 2 to 3 servings weekly; a serving example includes 3 oz (85 g) cooked fish.
- Whole grains: 1 serving daily; a serving example includes 1 slice (40 g) bread, or ½ cup (75–120g) cooked rice.
- Unprocessed meats: 1 serving daily; a serving example includes 3 oz (85 g) cooked red meat or poultry.
The study was published in the journal European Heart Journal (Mente et al., 2023).
