Suboptimal Diet Is Associated with Excess Mortality from Cardiometabolic Diseases

Dietary factors affect risk for cardiometabolic diseases (e.g., heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes), but the specific factors involved and their individual effects on risk are unclear. In this study, investigators used various sources of data to quantify the effect of suboptimal diet on cardiometabolic disease–related mortality in the U.S. in 2012. They identified 10 specific dietary factors (e.g., fruits, vegetables, whole grains, sodium, nuts and seeds, processed meats) that were associated strongly with cardiometabolic disease and estimated the absolute number and proportion of cardiometabolic disease–related deaths associated with suboptimal intake of each food.

On multivariate analysis, overall suboptimal intake of the 10 dietar…