Maintaining good health is directly related to our eating habits. The things you eat can influence your risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, or type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study. The findings suggest ways to change your eating habits to improve your health.

The food we consume gives our bodies the "info" and materials they need to function properly. If we don't get the right information, our metabolic processes suffer and our health declines. 

If we get too much food, or food that gives our bodies the wrong instructions, we can become overweight, undernourished, and at risk to develop diseases and conditions such as arthritis, stroke, diabetes, and heart disease.

NIH-funded scientists analyzed how these 10 dietary factors affect your risk of death from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. They are known as cardiometabolic diseases. The team relied on data from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and national mortality data.

The scientists found that the risk of death from the 3 diseases was higher for those who consumed

Too much

•  sodium

•  processed meat

• sugar-sweetened beverages

• unprocessed red meat. 

Too little

• Nuts and seeds

• Seafood omega-3 fats

• Vegetables

• Fruits

• Whole grains or polyunsaturated fats. 

 According to the analysis, nearly half (45%) of deaths in 2012 from the 3 diseases was associated with too much or too little of these 10 dietary factors.

“This study establishes the number of cardiometabolic deaths that can be linked to Americans’ eating habits, and the number is large,” explains Dr. David Goff, a heart disease and public health expert at NIH.  

Improvements in diet have a strong impact on diminishing potential cardiovascular and metabolic diseases that may affect people later in life. Remember that better dietary habits can improve our health quickly, and we can act on that knowledge by making small positive changes to stay sound and healthy.