Research
Mixed
Middle-income nations experienced the largest deterioration in dietary patterns based on unhealthy items between 1990 and 2010, despite showing the largest improvement in healthy dietary patterns.
If you are in a middle-income country, you may have access to more healthy foods than before, but you are also exposed to the greatest increase in unhealthy options. Prioritize reducing unhealthy items (sugar, sodium, processed meats) to prevent the deterioration of your overall diet quality.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Middle-income countries showed the largest improvement in dietary patterns based on healthy items, but the largest deterioration in dietary patterns based on unhealthy items.
Why this rating
Based on hierarchical regression analysis of global survey data.
Source
Dietary quality among men and women in 187 countries in 1990 and 2010: a systematic assessment
Fumiaki Imamura et al. · The Lancet Global Health · 2015
DOI 10.1016/s2214-109x(14)70381-x
systematic_reviewCited 828×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Global dietary patterns based on the consumption of healthy items (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc.) improved modestly between 1990 and 2010, whereas patterns based on the consumption of unhealthy items (sugar-sweetened beverages, processed meats, sodium, etc.) worsened significantly.Good
- Higher national income is associated with better adherence to healthy dietary patterns but significantly worse adherence to unhealthy dietary patterns, creating a divergence in diet quality metrics.Good
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →