[Card News / Episode 3] To Eat or Not to Eat, That is the Question. (How to make healthy dietary choices to prevent and manage different chronic conditions.)

With increasingly westernized dietary patterns and rapidly varying food-away from-home (FAFH) options, we easily fall into poor eating habits.

The researchers analyzed data spanning from 2010 to 2019 on the dietary trends of Seoulites.

Key highlights

The good news is that the number of Seoul residents
✔ consuming more than the recommended daily intake of sodium fell;
✔ eating healthily grew.

But the bad news is that the number of Seoul residents
✔ eating too much energy and fat derived from meat-based meals climbed;
✔ consuming more than the recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables declined.

Has a shift in our diets affected our health?

Fast stats on chronic diseases among Seoul residents

• Obesity: 31%
• High blood pressure: 25%
• Hyperlipidemia: 36%

Of particular note is that the proportion of people with hypercholesterolemia, a specific type of hyperlipidemia, is on the rise in Seoul.

• 2010 l 10.1% -> 2020 l 19.1% (Source: Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA)

What foods then should we eat and avoid to keep these diseases at bay?

The researchers monitored the health of 26,362 adults aged 40 to 69 in good health who visited medical check-up centers for five years to identify dietary risk factors for five chronic diseases: obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypercholesterolemia.

<Obesity> Excessive consumption of foods high in carbohydrates (noodles, dumplings, pizza, and burgers), foods high in fat like red meat and foods high in sodium (instant noodles, soups, and Korean salted and fermented seafood) increase the likelihood of obesity. Sticking only to needed levels of eggs, cheese, and nuts reduce the likelihood of obesity.

<High blood pressure> Eating fat-rich foods (pork belly and other meat) and sodium-rich foods (instant noodles,  stir-fried anchovies, and kimchi) raises the risk of high blood pressure. Consumption of rice mixed with beans and multi-grains, eggs, zucchini as well as other veggies lower the risk of high blood pressure.

<Hypertriglyceridemia> Intake of high-carb foods (rice, noodles, burgers, bread and sugary drinks) increase the likelihood of hypertriglyceridemia. Sweet potatoes, eggs, milk and nuts decrease the risk of hypertriglyceridemia.

<Hypercholesterolemia> Consumption of fatty foods (red meat such as beef, milk and ice cream) raise the risk of hypercholesterolemia. Eating rice mixed with beans and multi-grains, plain rice, fish with bluish backs along with nuts lower the risk of hypercholesterolemia.

What is noteworthy is that both hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia are certain types of hyperlipidemia but factors increasing the risk of developing and factors preventing the two clinical conditions are opposite to each other.

<Rice>

• X : Increases the risk of hypertriglyceridemia
• O : Curbs the risk of hypercholesterolemia

<Milk>

• X : Curbs the risk of hypertriglyceridemia
• O : Increases the risk of hypercholesterolemia

Studies have shown that multi-grains, eggs and nuts minimize the risk of various chronic diseases. This study stresses the importance of tailored diets specific to each health condition.

Suggestion from the Seoul Institute “There is a need for the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) to prevent diseases and promote health among Seoulites in a proactive manner. To that end, it is recommended to create individualized meal plans that fulfill the specific nutritional needs for people with a host of medical conditions based on scientific evidence regarding the link between chronic illnesses and dietary habits.”

Source: Seongah Kim, 2021.”A Study on the Prevalence of Major Chronic Diseases and Dietary Risk Factors in Seoul”. Seoul: Seoul Institute.

Source: Seongah Kim, 2021.”A Study on the Prevalence of Major Chronic Diseases and Dietary Risk Factors in Seoul”.