Junk food causes a third of heart attacks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) –
Diets heavy in fried foods, salty snacks and meat account for about 35 percent of heart attacks globally, researchers reported on Monday.
Their study of 52 countries showed that people who ate a "Western" diet based on meat, eggs and junk food were more likely to have heart attacks, while those who ate more fruits and vegetables had a lower risk.
The study supports previous findings that show junk food and animal fats can cause heart disease, and especially heart attacks.
Dr. Salim Yusuf at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues questioned more than 16,000 patients, 5,700 of whom had just suffered a first heart attack.
They took blood samples and had each patient fill out a detailed form on their eating habits between February 1999 and March 2003.
They divided the volunteers into three groups.
