One in five dies due to lack of nutritious food, reveals Lancet study

Though quality diet is an important preventable risk factor for NCD, lack of quality diet forms a major portion of the burden.

A recent study published in Lancet indicates that lack of nutritious and healthy food lead to the death of one in five individuals. The study highlights that the poor intake of fruits and whole grains led to a higher risk of NCDs. The dietary risks were responsible for 11 million deaths globally and cardiovascular deaths led the cause of deaths due to dietary factors, followed by cancer and diabetes.

“There is an increase in the patients who complain of health issues due to nutritional deficiency. People tend to eat surplus amount of carbohydrates, however, inclusion of fruits, vegetables, nuts, meat in right proportion is important to form a balanced diet,” said Dr D Krishnan, dietitian, Kilpauk Medical College.

Dietitians recommend that colourful food such as vegetables, fruits, nuts must be preferred over white food including sugar, salt, maida and rice.

“Following a healthy diet is significant to prevent NCDs, while those who are diagnosed with diseases should adhere to the recommended dietary plans. People suffering from NCDs even hog on food that they should not eat during festivals and weddings,” said Dr S Bhuvaneshwari, clinical dietician, Apollo Hospitals.

Dietitians said that in Tamil Nadu, the rice is the primary source of carbohydrates, but they should also intake balanced food in their everyday diet. “The incidence of obesity has increased which is directly responsible for various NCDs due to poor food choices. Dietary choices affect all the body systems and nutritional deficiency is mostly the reason behind chronic diseases,” said Dr Muralidharan Parthasarathy, general consultant, laparoscopic and bariatrics surgeon,Kauvery Hospital.