IN the present study, researchers found that people who followed the Mediterranean diet most closely and did not have coronary heart disease had a lower risk of sudden cardiac death.
People who primarily ate a traditional Southern diet, involving more fried food and sugary drinks, were more at risk of sudden cardiac death.
In a new study, researchers have found a positive association between the Southern diet — which involves more fried food and sugary drinks — and sudden cardiac death. They also linked the Mediterranean diet to a reduced risk of sudden cardiac death.
The research, which appears in the Journal of the American Heart Association, offers further evidence of the importance of diet to cardiovascular health.
Death certificates show that sudden cardiac death is a factor in 1 in 7.5 deaths in the United States. A key underlying cause is coronary heart disease.
According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP)Trusted Source, a person can improve their heart health by changing their diet.
The ODPHP suggests that people eat a variety of fruit and vegetables, low fat dairy, whole grains, a variety of proteins, and unsaturated fats.
Research has shown that the Mediterranean diet, which focuses on legumes, vegetables, fruits, fish, and grains, can be protective against cardiovascular disease.
Researchers have also identified an inverse link between the Mediterranean diet and sudden cardiac death.
However, the study had significant limitations, as it included a hugely disproportionate number of white participants and focused primarily on women.
In the present study, the researchers drew on data from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke Study cohort in the U.S.
