People with inadequate food access are up to 37% more likely to die prematurely

People with inadequate food access are up to 37% more likely to die prematurely

Inadequate access to food carries with it a risk of premature death, according to a new study. Researchers looked at data from more than a half a million Canadian adults and found that more than 25,000 of them died prematurely — meaning they died before the age of 83, the average age at death for that population. The death rate was up to 37% higher among adults who reported they had marginal to severe levels of food insecurity than those who didn’t have trouble accessing food. Those with severe food insecurity also died, on average, nine years earlier, and were more than twice as likely to die by suicide. These findings only represent an association, but warrant a closer look at food insecurity as a determinant of health, the researchers suggest.