Jardim TV, Mozaffarian D, Abrahams-Gessel S, et al. - Researchers intended to evaluate the cost associated with a suboptimal diet in the US. They applied a validated microsimulation model to estimate annual cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes costs associated with suboptimal intake of 10 food groups (fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds, whole grains, unprocessed red meats, processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, polyunsaturated fats, seafood omega-3 fats, sodium). They included a representative US population sample of individuals aged 35–85 years using weighted sampling from National Health And Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 2009–2012 cycles. In the US, a suboptimal diet of 10 dietary factors accounts for 18.2% of all ischemic heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes costs, indicating that timely implementation of diet policies could address these health and economic burdens.