A huge international study suggests that Global dietary guidelines should possibly be changed to allow people to consume more of fats than carbohydrates and a good quantum of fruits and vegetables.
Fat which once upon a time was the most reluctant word in anyone’s Diet, had has been edging back towards respectability.
According to this study, diets rich in fat, including saturated fats, don’t increase the mortality risk but, high carbohydrates diets do.
However, fat consumption was not associated with cardiovascular diseases.
Reducing saturated fatty acids and replacing them with carbohydrates might have an adverse effect on cardiovascular disease risk.
And the study PURE (Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology) also found that the benefits of fruits,vegetables and legumes top out at just three to four total servings per day.
PURE investigators recorded food intake using questionnaires in 1,35,000 people in 18 countries, including high-medium-low income nations.
During the study period, the researchers found 5,796 deaths and 4,784 cardiovascular events like strokes and heart attacks among the study population.
Further PURE challenges the two widely held beliefs on fruits and vegetables consumption.
Most of the diet guidelines suggest the consumption of fruits and vegetables.
But PURE suggests a diet which is rich in fruits, beans,seeds, vegetables and fats, include dollops of whole grains and be in low I carbohydrates and refined sugar.
PURE gives an important message to every individual out there - Bioactive foods (That gives rise to new plant life,like fruits and seeds)must be consumed more.
The PURE results are particularly relevant in poor countries and in the poorest sections of richer countries where carbs-largely low quality- comprise more than three quarters energy intake.
This, the population in these nations needs to reduce carb intake to more moderate levels.
The World Health organisation currently advises people to get not more than 30% of energy from fats and avoid saturated fats found in things like animal products.
For the 1st time PURE studies provides a global look at the realities of people’s diets in many countries and gives a clearer picture of people’s fat and carbohydrate intake.
In an interview, the chair of the PURE study, Salim Yusuf said that he hopes that as the study accumulates more data he hopes that it will be able to shed additional light on the complex issues raised by the new papers.
Optimal health benefits can be achieved with a more modest level of consumption.