Stroke, heart attack,… Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the world, estimates the World Health Organization (WHO). In total, nearly 17.7 million people die from it each year, which represents 31% of global mortality. The question of prevention is therefore essential.
Among the risk factors, we note in particular tobacco, a sedentary lifestyle, but also a poor diet. The consequences of this last risk factor could appear very early in life. Indeed, according to a study carried out by researchers at the University of Bristol, in England, diets high in calories, fat and sugar during childhood can impact the stiffness of the arteries from adolescence and therefore increase the risks of cardiovascular disease later in life. Their results are published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Diets high in calories and low in fiber increase the risk of cardiovascular disease
To arrive at these results, researchers collected the eating habits of more than 4,700 children born in the 1990s and aged seven, ten and thirteen. The diet was differentiated into five, if they were known to protect heart health or on the contrary to increase the risk. Additionally, the researchers analyzed arterial stiffness and arterial wall thickness were then measured when they were aged between 17 and 24 years old.
As a reminder, arterial stiffness “is a predictive factor of mortality from stroke”specifies Inserm.“ “Because of its links with high blood pressureit is associated with a variety of serious conditions, including heart failure, stroke and vascular dementia”, underlines in a press release Dr Geneviève Buckland, BHF researcher at the Bristol Medical School of the University of Bristol.
Cardiovascular diseases: a diet close to the Mediterranean diet would be protective
The authors of the study noticed that children who had a high calorie diet and low in fiber “had stiffer arteries at 17 compared to children who had eaten less caloric, fatty and sugary foods in their childhood”. In addition, based on previous research, the researchers emphasize that these children had a greater risk of being overweight.
Conversely, children aged seven who had eating habits close to the Mediterranean diet “presented reduced arterial stiffness at 17 years of age”. Similarly, researchers note that eating anti-inflammatory foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, certain spices, and seafood during childhood, was “linked to a decreased arterial stiffness”.
“Our study highlights the importance of developing balanced eating habits from childhood to reduce the risk of future heart problems,” estimates Dr Geneviève Buckland in the press release. The latter emphasizes “the need to put in place prevention strategies to prevent arterial stiffness from developing in such young people.”
Sources:
- Associations of childhood diet quality scores with arterial stiffness and carotid artery intima-media thickness in adolescence/early adulthood: findings from the ALSPAC cohort – British Journal of Nutrition
- Diet in childhood linked to blood vessel damage in teenage years – (press release)
- Artery stiffness predicts death from stroke – Inserm