Study: Risk of death triples with improper dietary intake
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The risk of death from strokes and heart diseases nearly triples among people who fall short of consuming the government-recommended amount of fruits, vegetables and fish while overloading on salt, a three-decade study showed.
Previous research has shown links between individual food items and the risk of death. But the study commissioned by the health ministry was the first in which the risk was examined in relation to a combination of several food items, the researchers said.
The group was led by Katsuyuki Miura, a professor of public health at the Shiga University of Medical Science. The group tracked people who first took part in the ministry’s annual nutrition survey in 1980.
The researchers analyzed the dietary habits of 9,115 men and women between the ages of 30 and 79 across Japan by measuring the volume of their food consumed and tracking their medical records until 2009.
The group set standards based on the daily dietary intake recommended by the Health Japan 21 campaign led by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and other suggestions.
The defined standards for minimum daily intake included: 350 grams of vegetables; 200 grams of fruits; 80 grams of fish; as well as less than 8 grams of salt for men; and less than 7 grams of salt for women.
During the 29 years, 1,070 of the subjects died of strokes, heart ailments and other cardiovascular diseases.
According to the study’s results, individuals whose consumption of vegetables, fruits and fish were less than half of the standards and whose salt intake matched or surpassed the standards were 2.87 times more likely to die than those who met all of the standards.
The risk of death jumped by 2.25 times when their intake of fruits and fish was less than half the standards while their salt intake equaled or topped the standards, although they consumed a proper amount of vegetables, the study showed.
No connection was found between food items such as meat, dairy products and beans and the risk of death, the researchers added.
“It is hard to consume 350 grams of raw leafy green vegetables, but it is recommended that people pay attention to the standards by heating the greens to reduce the bulk and incorporating root vegetables,” Keiko Kondo, a registered dietitian at Shiga University of Medical Science, said.
The research group for the first time compiled a risk assessment chart showing the connections between combinations of several food items and the risk of death. The chart has been published in the online version of the Japanese Circulation Society’s Circulation Journal (https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/circj/advpub/0/advpub_CJ-18-1002/_article).
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