Alternative Health Blog

That junk food causes about one third of worldwide heart attacks is not exactly an all-points health bulletin. It seems logical that fried foods and salty snacks clog arteries and weaken cardiovascular function. What’s noteworthy is this percentage is documented in a new study of 52 countries that generally follow a “Westernized” diet. That’s a lot of heart attacks caused by our fast-food culture.

The Western diet features meat, eggs and junk food (including French fries, anything deep fried, the copious snack chips available in supermarkets, processed sweets such as cookies and cakes). Along with questioning 16,000 patients, researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, collected blood samples and requested that each participant fill out a detailed report on their individual eating habits over four years.

In contrast, the study authors discovered those respondents who ate more fruits and vegetables had a lower risk. The research was published in the latest issue of the medical journal Circulatio.

The study supports previous findings that show junk food and animal fats can cause heart disease, and especially heart attacks.

Dr. Salim Yusuf and his colleagues divided the volunteer subject into three groups. One group followed an Asian diet high in tofu and soy. A second group was labeled “Western” and the third was “prudent” for its high amounts of fruit and vegetables. The prudent group was rated at 30 percent lower risk for heart attacks compared to individuals who ate minimal fruits and veggies.

The Western group was at 35 greater risk for heart attacks than individuals in the prudent group. The Asian diet group was categorized as “normal” risk for heart attacks compared the “highest” for Western and “lowest” for prudent. Yusuf speculated that the Asian diet is neutral rather than protective because the tofu-rich diet is also high in sodium.

The study is groundbreaking in its expansive nature of connecting junk food to adverse health outcomes in such a large number of countries. Another intriguing finding is the authors found “approximately 80 percent of the global cardiovascular disease burden occurs in low- and middle-income countries.”  

Bob Condor blogs for Alternative Health Journal every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.