New US research shows just how deadly a poor diet can be.
Nearly half of all deaths due to heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes in the US in 2012 were associated with the low consumption of fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds and omega-3 fatty fish, according to a study published in the JAMA journal.
The largest numbers of estimated diet-related cardiometabolic deaths were also linked to the high intake of salt and sugary beverages.
"These results should help identify priorities, guide public health planning, and inform strategies to alter dietary habits and improve health," the authors wrote
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, researchers at Tufts Fiedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy in Boston examined mortality due to heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes in 2012 and the consumption of 10 foods/nutrients associated with cardiometabolic diseases.
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In 2012, just over 700,000 cardiometabolic deaths occurred in US.
Of these, an estimated 45 per cent due to heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes were associated with "suboptimal" intakes of 10 dietary factors, the study found.
Despite the known health benefits of a good diet, only half of all Australian adults meet the dietary guidelines for the recommended daily consumption of two or more serves of fruit.
Just seven per cent eat the recommended 5-6 serves of vegetables, according to the latest Bureau of Statistics figures.
