In 2015, a suboptimal diet accounted for 222,100 cardiovascular disease deaths among men and 193,400 cardiovascular disease deaths among women in the U.S., according to an analysis of national data.

Lead researcher Ashkan Afshin, MD, MPH, MSc, ScD, of the University of Washington, presented the findings on March 9 at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention/Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health Scientific Sessions.

The researchers used an analytic framework from the Global Burden of Disease study, which is the largest observational epidemiological study examining mortality and morbidity from major disease, injuries and risk factors to health. From 1990 to the present day, more than 1,800 researchers from more than 120 countries have gathered data on premature death and disability from more than 300 diseases and injuries in 188 countries. They have grouped the data based on age and sex.

For this analysis, the researchers obtained data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on the intake of the following 11 dietary factors: fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, seafood omega-3 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, fiber and sodium.

In 2015, low intake of nuts accounted for 11.6 percent of cardiovascular disease deaths, low intake of vegetables accounted for 11.5 percent of cardiovascular deaths, low intake of whole grains accounted for 10.4 percent of cardiovascular deaths and high intake of sodium accounted for 9 percent of cardiovascular deaths.

“Low intake of healthy foods such as nuts, vegetables, whole grains and fruits combined with higher intake of unhealthy dietary components, such as salt and trans-fat, is a major contributor to deaths from cardiovascular disease in the United States,” Afshin said in a news release. “Our results show that nearly half of cardiovascular disease deaths in the United States can be prevented by improving diet.”