“Perhaps it is important that this study no longer talks about sugar and fat, but about chocolate and confectionery [candy], White bread, butter, high-fat cheese, “said Piernas.” We have to tell people that. If they have a diet high in these things and low in fruits and vegetables, “they are more likely to develop heart disease and die early.
Here’s why: “Primarily, these bad diets lead to weight gain,” which puts them at risk for heart disease.
People from the UK took part in this study, so the results might be different in other parts of the world, Piernas said.
Participants whose diet included more chocolate, candy, butter, and white bread were more likely to be younger men who smoked. They were also less active, obese, and had high blood pressure compared to people whose diet did not include these foods in large quantities.
Those who preferred a diet high in sweetened drinks and canned food were at greater risk of heart disease and death, although they were more active and less likely to smoke, be obese, or have high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol.
Other foods touted as less healthy, like breaded fried fish, savory snacks, and processed and red meats, also appear in this study, but contributed to a lesser extent, Piernas said.
The data comes from 24-hour reviews and may not be representative of participants’ lifelong eating habits, the researchers said. Future research could investigate the possible reasons for the links.
The results were published online on April 21 in BMC Medicine.
Whitney Linsenmeyer, a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, reviewed the results.
“A diet high in refined carbohydrates with white bread, high in saturated fat, and high in added sugar hits all those red flags that research is very well supported,” she said.
It can be scary for people to think about certain foods in terms of poor health outcomes or even death, said Linsenmeyer, who is also an assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University in Missouri.
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