These 3 eating habits are causing 1.1 million deaths in India, a shocking revelation in a new study.

News Topical, Digital Desk : A balanced diet is essential for good health. Fruits play an important role in this. A study found that dietary risk factors such as high sodium intake, low fruit intake, and a lack of whole grains were responsible for 5.91 million cardiovascular deaths in 2023.

Researchers from Beijing Children's Hospital in China analyzed data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 and evaluated 13 dietary risk factors over 33 years. China experienced the highest number of diet-related cardiovascular disease deaths, with 1.36 million.

faced 1.11 million deaths in the UK, while in India the number stood at 1.11 million. The analysis, published in the journal Innovation Nutrition, also found that ischemic heart disease and stroke are the main consequences of poor dietary habits.

The number of deaths has risen: Big data from Beijing Children's Hospital

"Our findings make it clear that improving diet quality should be a central pillar of global heart disease prevention," said author Guoshuang Feng of the Center. "Although we are seeing a decline in age-standardized mortality due to better health care, the absolute numbers are shocking," Feng said.

We are in a race against an ageing population, which is increasingly vulnerable to the harmful effects of a high-salt and low-nutrient diet. While medical advances have helped reduce the per capita mortality rate, the overall number of deaths  continues to rise, largely due to a "top three" list of dietary risk factors, the researchers said.

High sodium intake increases risk of heart disease 

"Globally, high sodium intake was associated with a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Diets low in fruit and whole grains were particularly important for ischemic heart disease and stroke," the study authors wrote.

Areas with upper-middle and higher SDI (socio-demographic index) were more burdened by higher sodium intakes. Areas with lower middle and lower SDI were more impacted by lower fruit intakes.

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