This clinical review covers the influence of various diets on overall health and how diet directly impacts cardiometabolic disease.
Cardiometabolic disease, including coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and type 2 diabetes (T2D), accounts for nearly 1 in 4 deaths annually in the United States, amounting to 702,308 deaths in 2012. This includes 371,266 CHD related deaths, 128,294 deaths from stroke and 67,914 from T2D. This highly preventable loss of life leads to a tremendous burden for families and for the nation as a whole. It is estimated that the economic impact from direct and indirect costs of heart disease, stroke and T2D was a staggering $312.6 billion in 2009.
Common among those people suffering from a chronic disease associated with cardiometabolic dysfunction, regardless of gender or race, is a sedentary lifestyle with low levels of physical activity accompanied by the consumption of a Western style diet. Although it is true that a “one size diet does not fit all,” the science does indicate that there is a more beneficial nutritional profile that must be adhered to in order to maintain low levels of inflammation thus mitigating the risk of cardiometabolic disease.
