Eating food known to help reduce the incidence of certain diseases could reduce your risk for illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Fortunately, the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) rates nutrients and food according to the chronic diseases they could help prevent.
The Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health made AHEI as an alternative to the dietary guidelines that the Healthy Eating Index made by the U.S Department of Agriculture.
According to a researcher from Harvard Medical School, Natalie McCormick, while the two indexes have a few things in common, AHEI focuses more on preventing chronic disease. The guide classifies food habits on a scale of 0 to 110. Non-adherence to healthy food is 0, while 110 is perfect adherence.
Studies prove the benefits of AHEI
The AHEI guidelines seem to be working so far as numerous studies have found that they reduce the risk of chronic illness. One such study gathered 41,029 men and 71,495 women. They used AHEI on them and found that those who adhered to the guidelines had 19% less chance of developing a chronic illness.
Moreover, participants who adhered to healthy AHEI foods were 33% less likely to develop diabetes and 31% less likely to develop coronary heart disease. Researchers published this study in the Journal of Researchers.
Another study that researchers published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked into 7,319 volunteers. They realized the participants with higher AHEI scores were 25% less likely to die from chronic disease. Furthermore, they were 40% less likely to die from cardiovascular diseases.
Foods people should prioritize
While the index yields positive results, experts say that it might not be practical to score your diet on it. However, you could add food with high scores to your diet. Some of these foods include vegetables. Experts recommend taking five a day. People should prioritize leafy green vegetables as they lower the risk for diabetes. Moreover, try to minimize the intake of potatoes.
Another food recommended in the AHEI is fruits. Nutritionists recommend taking four each day. Fruits could help lower the risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. However, always pick whole fruits over fruit juices since the latter increases the risk of diabetes.
