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 The research, published in the Lancet medical journal, found that
among 195 countries studied, the proportion of diet-related deaths
was highest in Uzbekistan and lowest in Israel. The United States
ranked 43rd, while Britain was 23rd, China 140th and India 118th.
Consumption of healthier foods such as nuts and seeds, milk and
whole grains was on average too low, and people consumed too many
sugary drinks and too much processed meat and salt. This led to one
in five deaths in 2017 being linked to bad diets.
The Global Burden of Disease study tracked trends from 1990 to 2017
of consumption of 15 dietary factors. Chris Murray, director of the
Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of
Washington which led the work, said it "affirms what many have
thought for several years".
"Poor diet is responsible for more deaths than any other risk factor
in the world," he said.
"Our assessment suggests the leading dietary risk factors are high
intake of sodium, or low intake of healthy foods, such as whole
grains, fruit, nuts and seeds and vegetables."
The study found people ate only 12 percent of the recommended amount
of nuts and seeds - an average intake of 3 grams a day, compared
with the recommended 21 g - and drank more than 10 times the
recommended amount of sugary drinks. Diets high in sugar, salt and
bad fats are known risk factors for heart disease, stroke, diabetes
and many types of cancer.
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The global diet also included less than a quarter of the recommended
amount of whole grains - at 29 g average intake a day compared with
the recommended 125 g - and almost double the recommended amount of
processed meat - at around 4 g average intake per day compared with
the 2 g recommended.
A study published in January suggested an "ideal diet" for the
health of people and the planet would include a doubling of
consumption of nuts, fruits, vegetables and legumes, and a halving
of meat and sugar intake.
In a breakdown of diet-related deaths, the study found that of the
11 million in 2017, almost 10 million were from cardiovascular
diseases, around 913,000 from cancer, and almost 339,000 from type 2
diabetes.
Annual deaths related to diet have increased from 8 million in 1990,
but the researchers said this was largely due to increases in
populations and populations aging.
(Reporting by Kate Kelland; Editing by Alison Williams)
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