New findings from a large European cohort show that the updated Nutri-Score more accurately identifies poor-quality diets linked to higher heart attack and stroke risks, offering stronger evidence for its role as a public health tool. Nutritional quality of diet characterized by the Nutri-Score profiling system and cardiovascular disease risk: a prospective study in 7 European countries . Image Credit: Lightspring / Shutterstock A study published in The Lancet Regional Health—Europe deciphers the association between the nutritional quality of diet assessed by the updated 2023 Nutri-Score profiling system and the risk of cardiovascular disease in a large European population.
Background Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality in Western Europe, accounting for almost 35% of all deaths occurring in that region. An unhealthy diet is the second leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease, responsible for 30% of disease-specific deaths. Health authorities in European countries have developed dietary guidelines to set standards for recommended food groups and nutrient intakes and to prevent diet-related chronic diseases.
Front-of-pack nutrition levels serve as useful complementary information for customers at the time of purchase. This information can help customers choose healthy food items and avoid items of poor nutritional quality. The Nutri-Score is one of the most scientifically validated front-of-pack nutrition labels in the European region, which provides .