While the relationship between diet and health is complicated, there is scientific consensus that a Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and that excessive intake of ultra-processed food increases it. But “reduce” and “increase” are vague terms until numbers are applied to them. Those numbers, though, can be confusing and are often open to misinterpretation. The measure commonly used in nutritional studies to evaluate the effects of some dietary intervention is the “hazard ratio,” or “HR.” It is important to understand what this means — and what it does not mean.
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