Eating six foods constitutes “key” for hlower risk of cardiovascular diseaseaccording to research published in the European Heart Journal.

Specifically, consumption fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish and dairy products with full fat helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults, including heart attacks and strokes.

At the same time, not eating enough combinations of these six foods is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

In the study, led by researchers of McMaster Universityof Hamilton Health Sciences Hospital and the Population Health Research Institute of Canada, also described that a healthy diet can be achieved in a number of ways, such as including a moderate amount of whole grains or unprocessed meats.

The World Health Organization estimates that almost 18 million people died of cardiovascular diseases in 2019, representing the 32% of all deaths worldwide. The 85% of these deaths were due to heart attacks and strokes.

The researchers analyzed data from multiple studies involving 245,000 people in 80 countries. Thus, representation from high-, middle-, and low-income countries is included.

Lead author Andrew Mende, an assistant professor at McMaster University and a researcher at the Institute for Population Health Research, points out that “excluding higher amounts of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, the researchers showed that eating natural foods in moderation is the key.

Moderate amounts of fish and full-fat dairy products are associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.

The same health effects can be achieved with moderate consumption of grains and meats, as long as they are unprocessed whole grains and unprocessed meats.”

Researchers recommend an average daily intake of two to three servings of fruit, two to three servings of vegetables, one serving of nuts and two servings of dairy. Also, three to four servings of legumes per week and two to three servings of fish per week.

Possible substitutes include one serving of whole grains daily and one serving of unprocessed red meat or poultry daily.