Meals make people 'die slowly'

Not cigarettes and air pollution, what risks are causing the earliest deaths worldwide? According to research by the US Institute of Data and Health Assessment (IMHE), the most dangerous culprit is killing us is a poor diet.

Accordingly, only diets high in red meat and sugary drinks were associated with 21% of early deaths worldwide. In addition, health damage also comes from diets low in fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and too much salt and cholesterol.

An unhealthy diet is killing us.

The IMHE study examines 14 risk-related dietary factors. Accordingly, accumulating for a long period of time, eating unhealthy: including a diet low in fruits, whole grains, vegetables and a diet high in red meat or sugary drinks are causing a lot death more than any other factor. It is causing many dangerous diseases like anemia to the heart, stroke and diabetes.

Published in the journal Lancet, the study collected data from the 1990s to 2013 of 188 countries. This data includes more than half of all deaths occurring globally and one-third of poor health cases, related to preventable risk factors.

That indicates that we can save many lives and improve global health if we have good solutions."High ability, we can improve health by avoiding certain risks such as smoking and poor diet, besides addressing environmental risks such as air pollution." IHME Director, Dr. Christopher Murray said.

But that will be a big challenge for policy makers. The authors call for more solutions to prevent deaths and illnesses caused by risk factors . "A thorough review of risk factors in research has shown us clearly where the prevention programs should be aimed , " the authors write.

This study also considers preventable risk factors, which are not enough to cause death, but are the cause of poor health. In general, the top risk factors are still high blood pressure, smoking and obesity. But they have changed across geographic regions of the world.

In general, the top risk factors are still high blood pressure, smoking and obesity.

In Latin American countries and the Middle East, obesity is the highest risk for poor health. In South and Southeast Asia, indoor air pollution is the top risk. In particular, India is facing the greatest risk related to lack of clean water and malnutrition in children. In Russia, alcohol is the second most important risk. Smoking is a risk factor for poor health in many high-income countries.

Through their research, scientists call on governments around the world to take concrete actions if they want to improve national and global health:

"We need to focus on minimizing risks for citizens from early childhood to adulthood. Such as acting on poor diets and low levels of physical activity" , Tien Ivy Shiue, research co-author from Northumbria University, said. "This will reduce the burden on the health system and ensure that we will all live longer and healthier."