Oregon Health News – As most of us have suspected, our “Western” diet is killing us, literally. Studies are now showing that people who eat high-fat dairy products, sweets, processed foods, refined grains and red meats- are at an increased risk for premature death.
A new British study released by The American Journal of Medicine on April 15, 2013,described the findings, which many Americans have been realizing while changing their diets and eating habits. The data concluded that this type of western style diet, reduced a person’s chances of achieving older ages in good health or with higher functionality.
The lead investigator, Tasnime Akbaraly, PhD, I said, “The impact of diet on specific age- related diseases has been studied extensively, but few investigations have adopted a more holistic approach to determine the association of diet with overall health at older ages>”
The AHEI (Alternate Healthy Eating Index) is a validated index of diet quality, and was originally designed to provide dietary guidelines with the specific intention to combat major chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
Findings which were analyzed by investigators from the British Whitehall II cohort study, suggested that following the Alternate Healthy Eating Index AHEI) can double the odds of reversing metabolic syndrome, a condition known to be a strong predictor of heart disease and mortality. The research team sought to identify dietary factors that can not only prevent premature death, but also promote ideal aging.
During 1985-2009 researchers followed 3, 775 men and 1,57 women. The average age of the participants was 51 years. Results of both registry data and the screenings conducted every five years, identified mortality and chronic diseases among participants.
The outcomes at follow-up stage, classified into 5 categories were:
- Ideal aging, defined as free of chronic conditions and high performance in physical, mental, and cognitive functioning tests – 4.0 percent
- Non-fatal cardiovascular event – 12.7 percent
- Cardiovascular death – 2.8 percent
- Non-cardiovascular death – 7.3 percent
- Normal aging — 73.2 percent
Risks of increased cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular death, increased, according to the study, and those who followed a “Western-type diet” consisting of processed foods, red meat, fired foods, refined grains, high-fat darity products and sweets, lowered their chances for ideal aging.
“The AHEI may be useful in reducing the risk of unhealthy aging, while avoidance of the ‘Western-type foods’ might actually improve the possibility of achieving older ages free of chronic diseases and remaining highly functional,” notes Dr. Akbaraly.
SOURCE: The American Journal of Medicine, news release, April 15, 2013