A vast study involving more than a million people has compiled the effects of different food groups (fruits and vegetables, starchy foods, meats, fat …) on the risk of chronic diseases and early mortality.
- Certain foods protect against the risk of chronic diseases and premature death, such as fruits, vegetables, complete cereals, nuts, legumes, as well as fish and white meats to a lesser extent.
- These foods being rich in essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fibers and antioxidants, they help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, thus improving metabolism and cardiovascular health.
- Conversely, excessive consumption of red meats (transformed or not), sugary drinks and ultra-transformed foods, rich in saturated fats and refined sugars, increases the risk, because they promote inflammation and resistance to Insulin.
Nutrition plays a key role in the development, or not, of non -transmitted diseases (infarction, cerebral vascular accidents, cancers, diabetes …), responsible for Almost 74 % of deaths worldwide. By analyzing 41 systematic journals and meta-analyzes involving more than a million participants, a team of researchers has just highlighted the impact of eating habits on the risk of mortality. What to eat, and not eat, to thwart the forecasts and aim for longevity?
What link between food and chronic diseases?
The effects of health food are associated with several metabolic and cardiovascular factors, such as hypertension, hyperglycemia, blood lipid profile and body mass index (BMI), notes the study published in the review Advances in nutrition and spotted by News Medical. Certain foods have protective properties against these risks, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts, rich in fiber, vitamins and organic compounds. Likewise, greater consumption of legumes, fish and white meats is beneficial. In this sense, the Mediterranean diet appears to be the ideal plate to hope to age in good health.
Conversely, excessive consumption of red meats (transformed or not) and sugary drinks (including fruit juices) increases the risk of chronic diseases and mortality. Regarding refined dairy products and cereals, the results were not conclusive. But other studies point to the responsibility of ultra-transformed foods, particularly rich in sugars, salt, fat and additives, in the appearance of pathologies (obesity, cardiovascular, intestinal, neurological disorders …) and in acceleration biological aging.
Understand the biological mechanisms
How to explain these associations? Beneficial foods being rich in essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fibers and antioxidants, they help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, thus improving metabolism and cardiovascular health. In contrast, red meats and sugary drinks, rich in saturated fats and refined sugars, as well as ultra-transformed products, promote inflammation and resistance to insulin, which increases the risk of chronic diseases and premature death.
Researchers, however, recognize certain limits by their study, including the variability of results according to food subcategories and preparation methods. They call for additional research to refine these conclusions and better understand the impact of certain foods according to the cultural context and culinary habits.
