Healthy eating myth debunked: To prevent heart disease, you need to eat junk food

A new study has found that high-fat dairy products, including cheese, whole yogurt and whole milk, may help prevent heart attacks, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, reports New York Post.

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What's more, the study found that unprocessed red meat "may be part of a healthy diet." These are the amazing results of the experts who compiled the Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiological Healthy Diet Score.

According to the PURE diet, six food groups—fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fish, and full-fat dairy—may reduce the risk of heart disease.

And there is room in a healthy diet for whole grains and unprocessed meats (like pork and beef instead of bacon or salami).

"Our results show that up to two servings of dairy, mostly fatty, can be included in a healthy diet," Dr. Andrew Mente, study author and associate professor at McMaster University in Canada, said in a press release.

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The PURE diet, published in the European Heart Journal, is based on the following six building blocks:

• Fruit: 2 to 3 servings per day.
• Vegetables: 2 to 3 servings per day.
• Legumes (beans, lentils, peas): 3 to 4 servings per week.
• Nuts: 7 servings per week.
• Fish: 2 to 3 servings per week.
• Dairy products: 2 servings per day.

“Moderate amounts of fish and full-fat dairy products are associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease,” Mente said. “The same health benefits can be achieved by consuming grains and meats in moderation—as long as they are unrefined whole grains and unprocessed meats.”

The PURE Diet differs from other healthy diets such as the Mediterranean Diet in that it was developed using information from wealthier Western economies as well as low-income countries.

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The data used in the PURE analysis included 147 people from a total population of 642 countries on five continents.

“This was by far the most diverse survey of nutrition and health outcomes in the world, and the only one with sufficient representation from high-, middle- and low-income countries,” Mente said.

“Associations between the PURE diet and health outcomes have been found in generally healthy individuals, patients with cardiovascular disease, patients with diabetes, and across countries,” he added.

Revolutionary results

The PURE diet used a ranking system from zero to six, with healthier diets ranked higher (five or more). Overall, the average diet score was 2,95.

Compared with the least healthy diet scoring one or lower, the healthiest diet (scoring five or more) was associated with a 30% lower risk of death, an 18% less chance of CVD, and a lower risk of CVD ( 14%) and 19% risk of stroke.

But co-author Dr. Salim Yusuf, also of McMaster University, noted that the results of the study were most pronounced in under-nutrition areas, where caloric intake was mostly from refined carbohydrates.

“This suggests that a large proportion of deaths and cardiovascular disease in adults worldwide may be due to malnutrition, that is, low intake of calories and healthy foods,” Yusuf said.

But before stocking up on sirloin steaks, heed a word of caution: The study authors emphasize that "variety and moderation" are the keys to a healthy diet. Whole grains and raw meats should still be consumed in moderation, no more than one serving per day.

The results of the PURE study could turn decades of nutritional advice on its head.

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“The new PURE results, combined with previous reports, call for a re-evaluation of the inexorable recommendations to avoid high-fat dairy,” said Dariush Mozaffarian of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston.

“It's time for change in healthcare. Recommendations need to catch up with science, Mozaffarian added. “Millions of lives depend on this.”

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