Recent research suggests that having a fast food restaurant, bar or pub within walking distance may increase your risk of heart failure.

Researchers used the UK Biobank research database to measure the exposure of more than 500,000 people 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 (number of ready-to-eat food outlets within a 0.6 mile radius).

Approximately 13,000 cases of heart failure were identified during the 12-year follow-up period. People living in areas with the highest concentration of ready-to-eat food outlets (more than 11) had a 16% higher risk of heart failure compared to people with no ready-to-eat outlets nearby.

Other findings:

• Participants living in areas with the highest concentration of pubs and bars had a 14% higher risk of heart failure, and participants living in areas with the highest concentration of fast food restaurants had a 14% higher risk of heart failure. It was 12% higher.
• Participants who lived within 0.5 miles of a pub or bar had a 13% higher risk of heart failure, but participants who lived closest to a fast food restaurant had a 13% higher risk of heart failure compared to those who lived the furthest away (more than 1.2 miles). , had a 10% higher risk of heart failure. ).
• The risk of heart failure was higher among adults in urban areas without access to formal exercise facilities such as gyms.

Researchers said their findings suggest that healthier eating environments and improved access to fitness facilities may reduce the relationship between easy food choices and higher heart failure risk. It states that “Eating a healthy diet is a struggle for too many people,” says Eduardo Sanchez, chief medical officer for prevention at the American Heart Association.

The study was published online in the AHA journal Circulation: heart failure.