Western diet 'raises heart risk'

"Swapping fried and salty foods for salads could cut the global incidence of heart attacks by a third, a study of eating habits suggests. Researchers analysed the diet of 16,000 people in 52 countries and identified three global eating patterns, Circulation journal reports. The typical Western diet, high in fat, salt and meat, accounted for about 30% of heart attack risk in any population. A 'prudent' diet high in fruit and veg lowered heart risk by a third. An Oriental diet, high in tofu, soy and other sauces, made no difference to heart attack risk. The researchers created a dietary risk score questionnaire based on 19 food groups and then asked 5,561 heart attack patients and 10,646 people with known heart disease to fill out their survey. Lead author Romania Iqbal, of McMaster University in Canada, said: '30% of the risk of heart disease in a population could be related to poor diet.'" - BBC