University of Michigan health researchers have found that eating a single hot dog can take up to 36 minutes of life. :(
In the study published this month in the journal Nature Food, researchers observed 5,853 foods in the American diet and measured their effects in minutes of healthy living, gained or lost.
"We wanted to make an assessment based on the beneficial and harmful effects of food throughout the diet," said Olivier Jolliet, professor of health sciences.
"For example, you lose 0.45 minutes per gram of processed meat, or gain 0.1 minutes per gram of fruit. We then look at the composition of each food and then multiply that number by the corresponding food profiles we developed earlier," Jolliet said. .
One of the foods measured by the researchers was a standard hot beef dog in a bun. His 61 grams of processed meat resulted in the loss of 27 minutes of healthy living.
Consumption of foods such as nuts, legumes, seafood, fruits and vegetables, in turn, have positive effects on health, the study found.
The index looks at foods that increase or decrease longevity, but it is not as easy as trying to undo harmful food choices, and replace them with more beneficial ones, Jolliet said.
"The index is primarily to help select and use the calories consumed on a daily basis to change the minimum habits and make the minimum change, in order to get the maximum health benefit," Jolliet added.
