Lack of 6 particular foods linked to higher cardiovascular disease and deaths

The Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological or PURE Healthy Diet Score recommends an average daily intake of Fruits at two to three servings; vegetables at two to three servings; nuts at one serving; and dairy at two servings. The score also includes three to four weekly servings of legumes and two to three weekly servings of fish. Possible substitutes included whole grains at one serving daily, and unprocessed red meat or poultry at one serving daily.

Previous diet scores – including the EAT-Lancet Planetary Diet and the Mediterranean Diet tested the relationship of diet to CVD and death mainly in Western countries. The PURE Healthy Diet Score included a good representation of high, middle, and low-income countries,” said Salim Yusuf, senior author and principal investigator of PURE.

Reference: Diet quality and risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in 244,597 people from 80 countries: four prospective cohort and two case-control studies, European Heart Journal