Consuming fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish and whole-fat dairy products in combination is key to lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adults, including heart attacks and strokes, say researchers.

According to the study published in the European Heart Journal, a healthy diet can be achieved in various ways, such as including moderate amounts of whole grains or unprocessed meats.

Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) researchers and their global collaborators analysed data from 2,45,000 people in 80 countries from multiple studies.

“Previous diet scores including the EAT-Lancet Planetary Diet and the Mediterranean Diet tested the relationship of diet to CVD and death mainly in Western countries. The PURE Healthy Diet Score included a good representation of high, middle, and low-income countries,” said Salim Yusuf, senior author and principal investigator of Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological (PURE).

According to researchers, processed and ultra-processed foods with foods and nutrients are believed to be protective of one’s health.

“There is a recent increased focus on higher consumption of protective foods for disease prevention. Outside of larger amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, the researchers showed that moderation is key in the consumption of natural foods,” said first author Andrew Mente, PHRI scientist and assistant professor at Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact.

The PURE Healthy Diet Score recommends an average daily intake of fruits at two to three servings; vegetables at two to three servings; nuts at one serving; and dairy at two servings, three to four weekly servings of legumes and two to three weekly servings of fish.

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly 18 million people died from CVD in 2019, representing 32 per cent of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85 per cent were due to heart attacks and strokes.