Healthy Diet Could Counter the Ill-effects of Obesity

Healthy Mediterranean-like diet partly modifies the link between obesity and cardiovascular death, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the journal PLOS Medicine.

Nearly 4.0 million deaths around the globe are due to higher body mass (BMI) in 2015, and over two-thirds of those deaths were due to cardiovascular disease (CVD).

‘Diet quality modifies the association between BMI and all-cause mortality in women and men. A healthy diet may, however, not completely counter higher CVD mortality related to obesity. ’

Studies have recommended that other factors, including healthy dietary patterns, might alter the higher risk of CVD linked to higher BMI. A population-based cohort study was conducted that included women and men with time-updated lifestyle information. Researchers studied diet, BMI, and mortality among 79,003 Swedish adults registered in the Swedish Mammography Cohort and Cohort of Swedish Men. Adherence to a Mediterranean-like diet (mMED) was evaluated on a scale of 0 to 8.

Obese individuals with high adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet did not encounter the increased overall mortality otherwise linked to high BMI, although higher CVD mortality remained. Lower BMI did not counter the elevated mortality liked to low adherence to a Mediterranean diet.

The study results indicate that adherence to healthy diets such as a Mediterranean-like diet may modify the association between BMI and mortality.

Source: Medindia