Here is a golden suggestion from researchers: lowering the price of fruits and vegetables by 10 percent for healthy food and increasing it by 10 percent for unhealthy food can prevent people from dying of heart disease and stroke.
Researchers from Harvard University used a computer model to arrive at the conclusion.
"A change in your diet can be challenging, but if achieved through personal choice or changes in the market place, it can have a profound effect on your cardiovascular health," said lead author Thomas A. Gaziano, assistant professor at Harvard University.
Experts found that a 10 percent price drop can bring down 1.2 percent deaths due to cardiovascular diseases in five years and about 2 percent in two decades. Likewise, heart attacks and strokes can come down by 2.6 percent and 4 percent, respectively, in two decades.
Moreover, the researchers found that a simple 10 percent cost reduction on grains might lead to 0.2 percent reduction from heart diseases in five years and 0.3 percent by 20 years.
Another interesting suggestion is that by raising the cost on sugary drinks by 10 percent, there could be a reduction in death from heart diseases by almost 0.1 percent in 5 years and 0.12 percent after 20 years.
Hence, by 2035, scientists found that these price drops would be able to stop about 515,000 deaths from heart disease and nearly 675,000 other occurrences, such as heart attacks and strokes.
The suggested changes include the following: one more serving of fruit and vegetable, about a 100 grams; one serving of whole grains by about 50 grams; and less sugar-sweetened drinks can bring about 3.5 million fewer deaths and 4 million less heart disease events in just a couple of years.
Leaders of the state and community who are seeking ways to improve the overall health of their groups and societies, could make use of the interesting information in order to bring about change, explain the experts. Health managers need to take note of this significant study in order to suggest modest taxes and subsidies to enhance the real costs of food and health for society.
The study was presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology NS Lifestyle 2016 scientific meeting.
