Food neophobia, or the fear of trying new foods, may increase your risk of developing chronic illnesses. This, from researchers at the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare.
The team studied a total of 4,091 individuals between ages 18 and 83 for seven years. They assessed participants’ level of food neophobia by using a 10-question survey about one’s eating behavior. Additionally, the team analyzed participants’ dietary quality, chronic illnesses, and risk factors for chronic illnesses.
Researchers found a link between food neophobia and risk factors for chronic illnesses. Specifically, those with food neophobia presented adverse fatty acids and higher levels of inflammation. This, in turn, increased their risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and other chronic illnesses too.
These findings reinforce the idea that a versatile diet and openness to trying different foods is beneficial to our health.
Source:
Sarin, H. V., Taba, N., et al. (2019, June 4). Food neophobia associates with poorer dietary quality, metabolic risk factors, and increased disease outcome risk in population-based cohorts in a metabolomics study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ajcn/nqz100/5510585?redirectedFrom=fulltext
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