In a paper released today (November 22) in the journal Nature Communications, researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts examined whether grownups who consumed more foods with higher Food Compass scores had much better long-term health outcomes and discovered that they did.
Food Compass was introduced in 2021 and supplies a holistic procedure of the overall nutritional worth of a food, beverage, or combined meal. Based on scores of 10,000 commonly taken in items in the U.S., scientists recommend foods with scores of 70 or above as foods to motivate; foods with ratings of 31-69 to be consumed in moderation; and anything that ratings 30 or listed below to be consumed sparingly. For this new study, Food Compass was utilized to score an individuals whole diet plan, based on the Food Compass scores of all the drinks and foods they regularly consume.
When peoples Food Compass diet plan scores were evaluated against health outcomes, numerous substantial relationships were seen, even changing for other risk elements like age, sex, race, ethnic culture, education, earnings, smoking cigarettes, alcohol intake, physical activity, and diabetes status.
Based on scores of 10,000 commonly consumed products in the U.S., researchers advise foods with ratings of 70 or above as foods to motivate; foods with scores of 31-69 to be eaten in small amounts; and anything that scores 30 or listed below to be taken in moderately. For this new research study, Food Compass was utilized to score a persons entire diet, based on the Food Compass scores of all the drinks and foods they regularly take in.
” A nutrient profiling system is planned to be an objective procedure of how healthy a food is. If its achieving its purpose, then people who eat more foods with greater ratings must have much better health,” stated Meghan OHearn, a doctoral prospect at the Friedman School and the research studys lead author.
For this recognition research study, researchers utilized nationally representative dietary records and health data from 47,999 U.S. grownups aged 20-85 who were registered in between 1999-2018 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Deaths were identified through linkage with the National Death Index (NDI).
Overall, scientists found that the mean Food Compass score for the diets of the almost 50,000 topics was just 35.5 out of 100, well below ideal. “One of the most worrying discoveries was just how bad the national typical diet plan is,” stated OHearn. “This is a call for action to improve diet plan quality in the United States.”
When peoples Food Compass diet scores were examined against health outcomes, multiple significant relationships were seen, even changing for other danger elements like age, sex, race, ethnic background, education, earnings, cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, exercise, and diabetes status. A higher Food Compass diet score was associated with lower blood pressure, blood glucose, blood cholesterol, body mass index, and hemoglobin A1c levels; and lower frequency of metabolic syndrome and cancer. A higher Food Compass diet score was also connected with lower risk of death: for each 10-point increase, there was a 7 percent lower threat of death from all causes.
” When browsing for healthy foods and drinks, it can be a little a wild west,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition and dean for policy at the Friedman School. “Our findings support the validity of Food Compass as a tool to guide customer choices, as well as market reformulations and public health methods to identify and encourage healthier drinks and foods.”
Compared to existing nutrition profiling systems, Food Compass provides a more extensive and innovative assessment of nutritional quality, researchers say. Rather than determining levels of dietary fats, salt, or fiber in isolation, it takes a more nuanced and holistic view, examining the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat; sodium to potassium; and carb to fiber.
Food Compass likewise enhances ratings for ingredients revealed to have protective impacts on health, like fruits, non-starchy veggies, beans and legumes, entire grains, nuts and seeds, plant, yogurt, and seafood oils; and decreases scores for less healthful ingredients like improved grains, red and processed meat, and ultra-processed foods and ingredients.
Scientists created Food Compass with the ever-evolving field of nutrition science in mind, and their multidisciplinary group– made up of researchers with proficiency in epidemiology, medicine, economics, and biomolecular nutrition– will continue to evaluate and adjust the tool based on the most innovative nutrition research study.
” We know Food Compass is not ideal,” said Mozaffarian. “But, it provides a more comprehensive, holistic score of a foods nutritional worth than existing systems, and these brand-new findings support its credibility by revealing it anticipates better health.”
These findings are prompt provided the release of the brand-new U.S. National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition and Health. One pillar of this method is to “empower all consumers to have and make access to healthy options” through procedures such as upgrading food labeling and making it easier to translate, creating much healthier food environments, and producing a healthier food supply.
” This study further confirms Food Compass as a helpful tool for defining healthy foods. We hope the Food Compass algorithm– openly available to all– can assist guide front-of-pack labeling; procurement options in school, health center, and office lunchrooms; reward programs for much healthier eating in health care and federal nutrition programs; industry reformulations; and government policies around food,” said OHearn.
Researchers plan to work on a simplified variation that requires less nutrient inputs, as well as variations tailored to specific conditions such as diabetes and pregnancy or to other countries populations. The research group is also interested in including Food Compass domains based on other aspects of foods, such as environmental sustainability, social justice, or animal well-being.
” We eagerly anticipate continuing to discover ways to improve the Food Compass system, and to get it to more users to help clean up confusion about healthier choices,” said Mozaffarian.
Reference: 22 November 2022, Nature Communications.DOI: 10.1038/ s41467-022-34195-8.
Research reported in this article was supported by the National Institutes of Healths National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute under award number 2R01HL115189 and Vail Innovative Global Research. Complete information on authors, funders, and disputes of interest is readily available in the released paper.
The content is exclusively the duty of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funders.
” [Food Compass] offers a more comprehensive, holistic score of a foods nutritional worth than existing systems, and these new findings support its validity by showing it anticipates much better health.”– Dariush Mozaffarian
Now, a holistic food profiling system, Food Compass, has been shown by to recognize foods that are much better for overall health and lower risk for death.
In new research, scientists have actually revealed that a holistic food profiling system, Food Compass, determines much better overall health and lower threat for mortality.
Diets considered better by the Food Compass profiling system are associated with lower risk of illness and death.
Tufts University researchers find link between foods scored greater by brand-new nutrient profiling system and better long-lasting health results.
That what we consume directly impacts our health is a concept that is ancient. In reality, Hippocrates recognized this as far back as 400 B.C. However, determining healthier foods in the grocery store aisle and on dining establishment menus is progressively hard. Now, a holistic food profiling system, Food Compass, has been revealed by to recognize foods that are better for overall health and lower threat for death.
