Los Angeles [US]: According to a study conducted in 80 countries across all inhabited continents, unprocessed red meat and whole grains can be included or excluded from a healthy diet. Fruit, vegetable, dairy products, nuts, legumes, and fish-rich diets have been linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and premature death in all world regions. The inclusion of unprocessed red meat or whole grains had little effect on the results.
The study was published in the European Heart Journal, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). "Low-fat foods have taken centre stage with the public, food industry and policymakers, with nutrition labels focused on reducing fat and saturated fat," said study author Dr Andrew Mente of the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
"Our findings suggest that the priority should be increasing protective foods such as nuts (often avoided as too energy dense), fish and dairy, rather than restricting dairy (especially whole-fat) to very low amounts. Our results show that up to two servings a day of dairy, mainly whole-fat, can be included in a healthy diet. This is in keeping with modern nutrition science showing that dairy, particularly whole-fat, may protect against high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome."
The study examined the relationships between a new diet score and health outcomes in a global population. A healthy diet score was created based on six foods that have each been linked with longevity. The PURE diet included 2-3 servings of fruit per day, 2-3 servings of vegetables per day, 3-4 servings of legumes per week, 7 servings of nuts per week, 2-3 servings of fish per week, and 14 servings of dairy products (mainly whole fat but not including butter or whipped cream) per week.
A score of 1 (healthy) was assigned for intake above the median in the group and a score of 0 (unhealthy) for intake at or below the median, for a total of 0 to 6. Dr Mente explained: "Participants in the top 50% of the population - an achievable level - on each of the six food components attained the maximum diet score of six." Associations of the score with mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke and total CVD (including fatal CVD and non-fatal myocardial infarction, stroke and heart failure) were tested in the PURE study which included 147,642 people from the general population in 21 countries.