The Western Diet Is Aging And Making Us Sick

Author: Leticia Celentano Time for reading: ~1 minutes Last Updated: August 08, 2022

In this article, learn more about The Western Diet Is Aging And Making Us Sick. The Western diet reduces our chances of living to old age in good health..

A diet rich in fried, sweet foods and semi-finished products - tentatively called the "Western diet", is not associated with maintaining health with age, according to a large cohort study. Participants in such a diet have a reduced chance of "smooth" aging, defined as the absence of chronic diseases, good heart, metabolic, respiratory, musculoskeletal and cognitive function.

The study was conducted in Montpellier, France.

According to researchers, the chances of smooth aging in the Western diet are small. Although the impact of nutrition on various diseases has been studied in detail, researchers are interested in its overall effect on health and vitality.

The team, led by Dr. Tasnime Akbarali, used data from a cohort study of 3,775 men and 1,575 women with a mean age of 51 years. Data collection began in 1991 and patient follow-up lasted until 2007. Assessment of participants' health status was made at the beginning of the study and every five years after the start of the study.

The researchers concluded that a diet rich in vegetables, fruits and fish was inversely related to the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Participants who ate mainly the Western diet showed opposite characteristics, which drastically reduced their chances of meeting the criteria for normal aging. The Western diet increases the risk of cardiovascular death by 56% and the risk of non-cardiovascular death by 36% compared to a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fish.

Other negative health effects that reflect on general health and quality of life are decreased musculoskeletal status, measured by walking speed, and decreased cognitive function. The negative effects of an unhealthy diet appear to be independent of factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. When these are available, their effects are superimposed on those of the diet - whether it is healthy or not.

From a statistical point of view, the main shortcomings of the study are the exclusion of participants with missing data; questionnaires concerning only certain foods and the possibility of additional, unexplored factors.

The Western Diet Is Aging And Making Us Sick

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