Living near these places may be bad for your heart

Living within walking distance of a fast-food restaurant, bar or pub could increase your risk of heart failure, results of a recent study suggest.

Using the UK Biobank research database, researchers measured more than 500,000 people’s exposure to three types of ready-to-eat food environments: pubs and bars, restaurants and cafeterias, and fast-food restaurants. Exposure was determined by proximity (living within 0.6 miles) and density (the number of ready-to-eat food outlets within that 0.6-mile radius).

Nearly 13,000 cases of heart failure were identified during a 12-year follow-up period. The people who lived in an area with the highest density of ready-to-eat food outlets – 11 or more – had a 16% greater risk of heart failure compared with those with no ready-to-eat food outlets nearby.

Other findings:

• Participants who lived in the highest density areas of pubs and bars showed a 14% higher risk for heart failure, while those in the highest density areas for fast-food outlets had a 12% higher risk.
• The participants who lived within 0.3 miles of pubs and bars had a 13% higher risk of heart failure, while those closest to fast-food outlets had a 10% higher risk, compared with the participants who lived the farthest away (more than 1.2 miles).
• Heart failure risk was higher among adults in urban areas without access to formal exercise facilities, such as gyms.

The researchers say their findings suggest that the connection between quick meal options and higher heart failure risk could be lessened by improving access to healthier food environments and fitness facilities. “Consuming a healthy diet is too hard for too many people,” said Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer for prevention at the American Heart Association.

The study was published online in the AHA’s journal Circulation: Heart Failure.