Unhealthy eating is the most common cause of premature death across the globe, a new study has found. Poor eating habits, including diets low in fruit, whole grains, and vegetables, and diets high in red meat, sugar, sodium and cholesterol, were implicated in 21% of premature deaths worldwide because they contribute towards ischemic heart disease, strokes and diabetes. The study is the most recent update on the 2010 report on the Global Burden of Disease, which is recognised as the most authoritative work on the causes of ill-health. Published in the medical journal The Lancet on September 11, the study was led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. “There’s great potential to improve health by avoiding certain risks like smoking and poor diet as well as tackling environmental risks like air pollution,” said IHME Director Dr Christopher Murray. “The challenge for policymakers will be to use what we know to guide prevention efforts and health policies.” The researchers looked at data from 188 countries from 1990 to 2013 and increased the number of risk factors for premature death around the world from 67 to 79 to provide a broader picture. A combination of 14 dietary risk factors contribute to the highest number of deaths worldwide, killing more people than smoking and alcohol. Dietary risks account for 11.3 million deaths worldwide and high systolic blood pressure for 10.4 million deaths, followed by child and maternal malnutrition which was responsible for 1.7 million deaths. Smoking kills 6.1 million people every year and air pollution causes 5.5 million deaths. The scientists say that risk factor patterns vary across regions and countries. In much of Latin America and the Middle East, obesity came out as the biggest risk for poor health. Drinking alcohol is the second major risk factor in Russia and smoking is the number-one risk in many high-income countries, including the UK. The situation is different for sub-Saharan Africa, which is dominated by a deadly combination of childhood undernutrition, unsafe water and sanitation, unsafe sex and alcohol use. (ab)