Study shows why you may want to think twice about dining out

The new study saw researchers using data from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 1999-2014. Participants in the long-term study filled out questionnaires given during in-person household interviews. More than 35,000 adults ages 20 or older reported their dietary habits, such as how often they consumed meals prepared out of the home.

“We linked these records to death records through December 31, 2015, looking especially at all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality and cancer mortality,” first author Dr. Yang Du, a Ph.D. candidate also of the University of Iowa’s college of public health, said.

In the follow-up period from the long-term study, 2,781 deaths occurred. Of those deaths, 511 occurred from cardiovascular disease and 638 deaths were due to cancer.

“Our findings from this large nationally representative sample of U.S. adults show that frequent consumption of meals prepared away from home is significantly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality,” Dr. Du said.

Scientists concluded that eating out often “may not be a healthy habit. Instead, people should be encouraged to consider preparing more meals at home.”

Additionally, co-investigator Linda G. Snetselaar, Ph.D., a professor and chair of preventive nutrition education in the University of Iowa’s department of epidemiology, said enlisting the help of a registered dietitian or nutritionist could help people make healthier choices when they do dine out.

“It is important to note that the study design for this research examines associations between frequency of eating meals prepared away from home and mortality,” said Snetselaar, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

“While encouraging clients to consider preparing healthy meals at home, registered dietitian nutritionists might also focus on how selections from restaurant menus can be healthy,” she continued. “Tailoring strategies to each client by reviewing menus from restaurants they frequent can help them make healthy food choices.”