It's no secret that if you're in danger of a repeat heart attack or stroke, you need to be careful about what you consume. You may already be aware that certain meals, such as fatty fish and nuts, can help keep your heart healthy, while others, such as meat-topped pizzas, can harm it.
According to new research, eating a diet high in ultra-processed foods can increase the chance of dying from heart disease and all other causes in persons who have had previous cardiac events.
The study, published in the European Heart Journal, followed 1,171 persons with a history of heart disease for an average of just over a decade. Using meal frequency questionnaires, the researchers evaluated the amount of ultra-processed food consumed daily by participants to their overall food consumption.
They discovered that those who consumed the most ultra-processed meals had a two-thirds higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD) than those who did not. Furthermore, the ultra-processed diet increased all-cause mortality by roughly 40%.
The study's first author, Marialaura Bonaccio, PhD, said, "It's pretty hard to assume you can entirely get rid of these [ultra-processed] foods nowadays because they represent for about half of our daily calories." "However, people should consider a return to a traditional diet, which strongly limits ultra-processed goods and instead promotes home preparation and consumption of unprocessed foods."
Researchers utilized the NOVA classification system, which divides all foods into four types used by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization to calculate the total amount of ultra-processed meals consumed by participants. They are unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, and "ultra-processed" foods.
"It's probably surprise that in an observational research, individuals who consumed the most 'ultra-processed foods' were at a higher risk of heart disease than those who consumed the least," According to Andy De Santis, RD, MPH, author of The 5-Ingredient Heart Healthy Cookbook.
"The term ultra-processed foods encompass a wide range of foods," he continued, "many of which are linked by the presence of high glycemic carbohydrates (i.e white flour), processed and red meat (hot dogs, sausages, hamburgers), and other dietary components (butter, cream, high-fat dairy, added sugar, etc.) that could be problematic when consumed in large amounts and could help to explain these findings."
While everyone can benefit from a diet that contains more nutrient-dense whole foods than ultra-processed foods, those with a history of cardiovascular problems should pay careful attention to what they consume.