Currently, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the US as well as in other countries around the world. Although it is easily avoidable in most cases, the number of people developing heart-related conditions is increasing with each passing year.
According to experts, the primary reason for this is the change in the daily intake of people. In comparison with a decade ago, the majority of people are now more aware of the impact of diet on health than ever before.
However, the standard western diet still seems to be nowhere near healthy. In fact, it has been estimated that the major portion of the daily intake among adults in the US consists of processed or ultra-processed foods.
The current medical research has associated the consumption of processed food with multiple health conditions ranging from metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes to kidney issues and even heart disease.
One of the most commonly bought and consumed processed food is instant microwavable foods. Due to the busy lifestyles of today, most adults rely on instant food as they save time and require minimum effort.
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Such foods can definitely help people especially on long and tiring days but experts have stated that consuming them every single day can lead to long-term consequences on the health as they offer no nutritional benefits, are rich in calories are even contain harmful substances and toxins.
The constant consumption of such foods by people around the globe can, therefore, explain the rise in heart-related conditions. This also means that changing diet can successfully cut down the risk of developing as well as dying from heart disease.
In fact, a new study says switching diets and avoiding processed foods can prevent at least two out of three heart disease-related deaths.
According to the leading investigator, Dr. Xinyao Liu, who is also a researcher at Central South University in Changsha, China, almost six million deaths can be successfully prevented if people switch to healthier diets containing little to no processed foods.
More specifically, the findings of the study, which appear in the European Heart Journal — Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes, conclude that around sixty-nine percent of cardiovascular disease is caused by poor dietary choices.
Secondly, the researchers also stated that changing the daily intake alone can be more effective than other factors that contribute to heart disease. In fact, nearly seven out of the nine contributing factors are also associated with diet.
So, avoiding processed foods and adding healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to the diet is beneficial and can help in maintaining health and avoiding dangerous health outcomes in the short and long term.
For people who have busy lifestyles, instead of buying and consuming instant foods, it is better to prepare food in advance using healthy ingredients and storing them differently for up to a week.
In case of family history or a genetic disposition to heart disease, it is mandatory to keep up with regular medical checkups along with following a healthy diet and lifestyle.
