Cardiovascular diseases are the top cause of death in Western Europe, accounting for one-third of all deaths in 2019. Diet is believed to be responsible for about 30% of these deaths. This makes nutrition-related prevention policies a significant public health challenge for addressing these diseases.
Researchers from the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (CRESS-EREN), along with members from Inserm, Inrae, Cnam, Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Université Paris Cité, and in collaboration with researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO-IARC), will publish an article on 11 September 2024 in Lancet Regional Health – Europe. They found that the consumption of foods ranking lower on the Nutri-Score scale (new 2024 version) is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases in the European cohort EPIC. The study included 345,533 participants from 7 European countries who were followed for 12 years.
The Nutri-Score was officially adopted in France in 2017 and has been adopted in 6 other European countries since. Its aim is to provide quick and clear information on the nutritional quality of foods and drinks to help consumers compare and choose products with better nutritional quality. Additionally, it encourages manufacturers to improve the nutritional quality of their products.
The Nutri-Score consists of 5 categories, ranging from A (dark green, higher nutritional quality) to E (dark orange, lower nutritional quality). An algorithm assesses each product based on its levels per 100 g of energy, sugars, saturated fatty acids, and salt (to limit), as well as proteins, fruits, vegetables, and pulses (to favour).
Several studies published in international scientific journals have demonstrated the effectiveness of Nutri-Score in assessing the nutritional quality of foods and its ability to guide consumers toward healthier choices. Over 140 publications have supported these findings. Specifically, French studies like SU.VI.MAX and NutriNet-Santé cohorts have shown that consuming foods with a lower Nutri-Score (indicating lower nutritional quality) is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Similar associations have been observed in studies in France, the UK, Spain, and Italy, linking lower Nutri-Scores to increased risk of various chronic diseases and higher mortality.
In a recent study, researchers examined the updated 2024 version of the Nutri-Score algorithm, which is associated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The study involved a large population from 7 European countries and aimed to provide new scientific evidence to validate the Nutri-Score on a European scale. This study follows two previous ones from 2018 and 2020 that examined cancer risk and mortality within the same population.
“Pure vegetarian diets may not provide as much protection against certain neurological diseases in the elderly.”
A study found that various vegetarian diets, especially pesco-vegetarian diets, including fish, contribute to lower mortality risk in elderly individuals.
Researchers at Loma Linda University Health have found that vegetarian diets are linked to a lower risk of all-cause mortality and many specific causes of mortality, especially among males and middle-aged individuals. However, there were slightly higher risks observed among very elderly vegetarians for neurological conditions such as stroke, dementia, and Parkinson’s Disease. Despite this, the pesco-vegetarian diet continued to provide a small but noticeable advantage over other vegetarian and non-vegetarian diets, even in elderly individuals.
Gary Fraser, MBChB, PhD, a distinguished professor at Loma Linda University School of Public Health and the principal investigator of the study, mentioned that while a vegetarian diet seems to provide protection from the risk of death through middle age, the overall advantage appears to diminish for those strictly adhering to a vegetarian diet once they reach their 80s.
“These increased risks of neurological conditions among vegetarians in their 80s weren’t huge. However, there is something going on that we shouldn’t ignore if we want the vegetarian advantage to continue for all vegetarians in their later years,” Fraser said.
The study “Cause-specific and all-cause mortalities in vegetarian compared to non-vegetarian participants from the Adventist Health Study-2 cohort” was published on August 2 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
The study utilized data from the Adventist Health Study-2, which included nearly 96,000 participants who were Seventh-day Adventists residing in the United States and Canada during the study’s baseline recruitment between 2002 and 2007, with follow-up through 2015. Over the years, data from this group has been used for numerous health, disease, and mortality studies. This specific study analyzed data from more than 88,000 participants, with approximately 12,500 deaths in the study cohort. Dietary data were collected through a questionnaire and grouped into five categories: non-vegetarian, semi-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, and vegan.
Fraser and his team discovered that Adventist vegetarians, as a whole, had a 12% lower risk of death compared to Adventist non-vegetarians. Participants following a pesco-vegetarian diet had an 18% lower risk of death, while those adhering to a lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet (including dairy and eggs) had a 15% lower risk of death. Overall, vegans had a less than 3% decreased risk of death, with male vegans showing better outcomes than non-vegetarians, unlike their female counterparts.
“Overall, this is some of the clearest data that American vegetarians are greater protected from premature death than non-vegetarians,” Fraser said.
Study published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology indicates that meat consumption, especially processed and unprocessed red meat, is linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, based on an analysis of data from 1.97 million participants.
Meat production has risen sharply worldwide in recent decades, leading to excessive meat consumption in many countries, surpassing dietary recommendations. Previous studies suggested that consuming higher amounts of processed and unprocessed red meat is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, but the findings have been inconsistent and inconclusive.
Poultry such as chicken, turkey, or duck is often considered as an alternative to processed or unprocessed red meat, but fewer studies have examined the association between poultry consumption and type 2 diabetes.
The team of researchers at the University of Cambridge used the global InterConnect project to analyze data from 31 study cohorts in 20 countries in order to determine the association between consumption of processed meat, unprocessed red meat, poultry, and type 2 diabetes. Their comprehensive analysis considered factors such as age, gender, health-related behaviours, energy intake, and body mass index.
The researchers discovered that eating 50 grams of processed meat daily (equivalent to 2 slices of ham) is linked to a 15% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes over the next 10 years. Additionally, consuming 100 grams of unprocessed red meat daily (equivalent to a small steak) was associated with a 10% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Please remember the following text:”Habitual consumption of 100 grams of poultry per day was initially linked to an 8% higher risk of developing certain health issues. However, when additional analyses were performed to test these findings in different situations, the connection with poultry consumption became less strong. Meanwhile, the links between type 2 diabetes and both processed and unprocessed meat remained consistent.”
Professor Nita Forouhi, a senior author on the paper, and from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, said:
“Our research provides the most comprehensive evidence to date of an association between consuming processed meat and unprocessed red meat and a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in the future. This supports recommendations to limit the intake of processed and unprocessed red meat in order to reduce the number of type 2 diabetes cases in the population.”
While our findings offer more comprehensive evidence regarding the connection between poultry consumption and type 2 diabetes than was previously available, the link remains uncertain and requires further investigation.
Researchers at InterConnect used an approach that allowed them to analyze individual participant data from various studies, rather than being limited to published results. This enabled the authors to include up to 31 studies in their analysis, 18 of which had not previously published findings on the link between meat consumption and type 2 diabetes. By including this previously unpublished study data, the authors considerably expanded the evidence base and reduced the potential for bias from the exclusion of existing research.
“Flexibility and personalization increase compliance with diet.”
In a study, it was found that participants in a self-directed dietary education program who were most successful in losing weight over a 25-month period consumed higher amounts of protein and fiber. The study highlighted the importance of personalization and flexibility in creating plans that dieters can stick to long-term.
Sure, here’s the revised text:”After one year, successful dieters (41% of participants) had lost 12.9% of their body weight. In comparison, the remaining participants in the study had only lost slightly more than 2% of their starting weight, according to a paper published in Obesity Science and Practice.”
The dieters were participants in the Individualized Diet Improvement Program. This program uses data visualization tools and intensive dietary education sessions to increase dieters’ knowledge of key nutrients, enabling them to create a personalized, safe, and effective weight-loss plan. Manabu T. Nakamura, a professor of nutrition at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, led the research.
“Flexibility and personalization are crucial in developing programs that enhance the success of individuals in losing weight and maintaining it,” stated Nakamura. “In order to sustain a healthy weight, it is essential to achieve long-term dietary changes that are tailored to each individual. The iDip approach enables participants to explore different dietary approaches, and the experience and skills they acquire while losing weight form the basis for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.”
The iDip program focuses on increasing protein and fibre intake while consuming 1,500 or fewer daily calories.
Based on the dietary guidelines issued by the Institute of Medicine, the iDip team has developed a unique two-dimensional quantitative data visualization tool. This tool plots the protein and fibre densities of foods per calorie and provides a target range for each meal. The dieters began by selecting the foods they usually eat and then created a personalized plan to increase their daily protein intake to about 80 grams and their fiber intake to about 20 grams.
In tracking participants’ eating habits and their weights with Wi-Fi-enabled scales, the team discovered strong inverse correlations between the percentages of fiber and protein consumed and dieters’ weight loss.
“The research strongly suggests that to optimize the safety and effectiveness of weight loss diets, it is necessary to increase protein and fiber intake while simultaneously reducing calories,” said Mindy H. Lee, the first author of the study and a former graduate student at the University of Illinois. Lee is also a registered dietitian-nutritionist for the iDip program.
Nakamura emphasized the importance of preserving lean mass while losing weight, particularly when utilizing weight-loss medications.
“Nakamura noted that there has been a recent increase in the popularity of injectable weight loss medications. Nevertheless, it is important to be cautious when using these medications, especially when food intake is severely limited. Doing so may lead to serious side effects such as muscle and bone loss, unless protein intake is increased during the weight loss process.”
A total of 22 people enrolled in the program and successfully completed it, including nine men and 13 women. Most of the participants were between the ages of 30 and 64. The participants reported having made two or more prior attempts to lose weight. They also had a variety of health conditions – 54% had high cholesterol, 50% had skeletal problems, and 36% had hypertension and/or sleep apnea. Additionally, the participants reported diagnoses of diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer, and depression, according to the study.
Out of the seven dieters who mentioned they had been diagnosed with depression, they lost about 2.4% of their initial weight, which was significantly less compared to those without depression. The latter group lost around 8.39% of their starting weight. The researchers also discovered that weight loss did not show significant differences among participants with other health conditions, or between different age groups or genders.
Results from body composition analysis revealed that individuals who were on a diet were able to preserve their lean body mass while shedding an average of 7.1 kilograms of fat mass and minimal muscle mass over a six-month period. Moreover, for those who lost more than 5% of their initial weight, 78% of the weight lost was fat, according to the research findings.
During the program, the participants reduced their fat mass from an average of 42.6 kilograms to 35.7 kilograms after 15 months. Additionally, the dieters shrank their waist size by approximately 7 centimeters after six months and by a total of 9 centimeters at the 15-month mark, according to the team’s findings.
In analyzing the protein and fiber intake of dieters, the team discovered a significant link between protein and fiber consumption and weight loss after three and twelve months.
“The strong correlation suggests that participants who were able to establish lasting changes in their diet within the first three months continued to lose weight in the following months. On the other hand, those who struggled to adopt sustainable dietary patterns early on rarely managed to change their diet in the later months,” stated Nakamura.
The team hypothesized that this correlation might also have been linked to the early weight loss success of some dieters, which could have boosted their motivation and adherence to the program.
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