A study by Tufts University shows slight improvements in diet quality from 1999 to 2020, but disparities remain, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Key diet changes include increased intake of nuts and whole grains and decreased consumption of added sugars, but overall diet quality is still poor across many demographics. American diets show slight improvements over two decades, according to a Tufts University study, yet significant dietary disparities persist.
The economic and health impacts of poor diets continue to be substantial, particularly affecting underprivileged communities. The Toll of Poor Nutrition on American Health Poor diet continues to take a toll on American adults. It’s a major risk factor for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease , and certain cancers, and more than one million Americans die every year from diet-related diseases, according to the Food and Drug Administration .
Poor diet and food insecurity is also costly, attributing to an estimated $1.1 trillion in healthcare expenditures and lost productivity . These burdens also contribute to major health disparities by income, education, zip code, race, and ethnicity.
In a study from the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University published today (June 17) in the Annals of Internal Medicine , researchers found that diet quality among U.S. adults improved modestly between 1999 and 2020.
However, they also found t.
