Many deaths from cardiovascular disease are associated with an unbalanced diet

In Europe, 1.55 million people die every year due to poor diet. This is the conclusion of a recent study carried out by the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Economics (INL) and the nutriCARD competence cluster.

Researchers analyzed the importance of diet for cardiovascular disease-related mortality between 1990 and 2019 and published their findings in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

The study found that one in six deaths in Europe could be linked to an unbalanced diet. “In the case of cardiovascular diseases, about a third of deaths are related to poor diet,” explains Teresa Pörschmann, lead author of the study and PhD student at the Department of Biochemistry and Nutritional Physiology at the University of Jena. p>

According to the study, the 27 EU member states account for about 600,000 premature deaths, of which about 112,000 in Germany. In percentage terms, the majority of people in Europe die from cardiovascular diseases partly related to diet in Slovakia (48%) and Belarus (47%). The lowest percentage is observed in Spain (24%). In Germany, 31% of all deaths from cardiovascular diseases are caused by an unbalanced diet.

The study also reveals which dietary factors had the greatest impact on premature mortality. “Unfortunately, it’s always the same foods that we either eat too little or too much of,” says Pörschmann. In particular, insufficient consumption of whole grains and legumes, as well as excessive consumption of salt and red meat have a negative impact.

A third of deaths are among people under 70

The type of cardiovascular diseases, as well as the distribution by gender and age groups, were also studied. Most deaths were caused by ischemic heart disease such as coronary heart disease, followed by stroke and hypertensive heart disease.

About 30% of all premature deaths involve people under 70 years of age. In total, the researchers examined 13 different types of cardiovascular disease and 13 different dietary factors.

The actual impact of diet is likely even greater

“The study does not take into account factors such as alcohol consumption and excessive energy consumption, which can cause obesity and diabetes 2 type,” explains Professor Stefan Lorkowski from the Institute of Dietetics at the University of Jena.

“These are further important risk factors for cardiovascular disease,” adds Dr. Toni Meyer from the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Economics in Halle. “Therefore, actual mortality from cardiovascular disease, partly caused by an unbalanced diet, is likely to be significantly higher.”

The share of cardiovascular diseases partially related to diet has been growing since 2019

The analysis used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study and looked at a total of 54 countries in Western, Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia, which WHO groups as the “European region.”

Besides EU member states and other European countries, this also includes several countries in the Middle East and Central Asia, such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Although the number of deaths partially related to diet is increasing worldwide due to population growth and increasing life expectancy, its share of total deaths is falling.

“Until 2015, the proportion of cardiovascular diseases partially related to diet was steadily declining. However, since 2019, these numbers have increased slightly again,” says Professor Lorkowski.

The latest results further highlight the great preventative potential of a balanced diet for heart health. “In Germany we still have a lot of room for improvement and we could prevent many premature deaths.”