The Study
Impact of dietary risk on global ischemic heart disease: findings from 1990–2019
This study looked at big numbers from many countries to see which foods are linked to more heart disease. It doesn't prove that eating too much meat causes heart disease—it just shows that places where people eat more meat also tend to have more heart disease.
Analysis score
Maximum 85 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
This study looked at how eating habits affect heart disease around the world over 30 years.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 541 / 100
Quality score
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cohort studies. They sit above a single cohort study but below a single randomized trial, because the underlying evidence is still observational.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — diet is a top cause of heart disease globally, but the problem looks different in rich vs.
- 2poor countries: undernutrition vs.
- 3overconsumption.
- 4In 2019, bad diets caused over 62 million heart disease deaths and 1.27 billion years of healthy life lost worldwide.
- 5Poor countries lost more life to not eating enough fruits, nuts, and whole grains.
- 6Rich countries lost more life to eating too much meat and salt, and not enough beans.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Scientific Reports
Year
2024
Authors
R. Rostami, Mehdi Moradinazar, Shima Moradi, Bahare Samannejad, Sahar Cheshmeh, Amira M. Saber, Y. Pasdar
Related Content
Claims (6)
In wealthier regions, ischemic heart disease is linked to diets high in red meat, processed meat, and sodium and low in legumes. In less wealthy regions, it is linked to diets lacking fiber, fruits, nuts, seeds, omega-3 fatty acids, vegetables, and whole grains.
In regions with lower socioeconomic resources, a diet lacking fiber, fruits, nuts, seeds, omega-3 fatty acids, vegetables, and whole grains is responsible for most cases of ischemic heart disease.
Dietary risks are linked to 62.43 million deaths, 36.88 million years lived with disability, and 1.27 billion disability-adjusted life years per 100,000 people globally from ischemic heart disease, with the greatest impact in low- and middle-income regions.
Between 1990 and 2019, ischemic heart disease caused by poor diet declined the most in high-income countries and remained highest in lower-income countries.
In wealthy countries in 2019, diets high in red and processed meat and diets low in legumes each accounted for about 14% of the total burden of ischemic heart disease, measured in disability-adjusted life years, for both men and women.
Diets low in nuts, seeds, whole grains, and fruits, and high in salt, are linked to over 4 million deaths from ischemic heart disease each year.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.