04.01.10
Foods recommended in the popular Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet correspond with the higher-scored items ranked by the NuVal Nutritional Scoring System, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. NuVal gives all foods a score from 1 to 100; the higher the score, the higher the food’s overall nutrition. According to the study, NuVal distinguished the more healthful DASH diet from the average American diet, measured by the comprehensive National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES, 2003-2006). The DASH diet was shown to use many items with high NuVal scores, validating NuVal as a measure of overall nutrition quality. Another portion of the study declares that an estimated four out of five consumers can have their food-purchasing habits positively influenced by NuVal scores. In consumer testing, “roughly 80% of over 800 study participants indicated that (NuVal scores) would influence their purchase intent,” as stated in the study. The consumer testing took place in 2007 and 2008 by the marketing research and technology firm Affinova and involved men and women between the ages of 18 and 64 who were the primary grocery shoppers for their households. The study’s questions centered around the ONQI algorithm, which is the engine behind the NuVal scores. According to the survey portion of the study, NuVal’s 100-point scale was preferred to systems with just four tiers by a ratio of 3-to-1. The paper also indicates that data from a Harvard study, to be published independently in the near future, directly link NuVal scores to health outcomes, including total risk of chronic disease and all-cause mortality.