The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) lists Tajikistan among the top ten nations in terms of unhealthy eating.
Researchers analyzed how many heart disease deaths could be attributed to a diet high in salt but low in vegetables, nuts and whole grains.
They estimate nearly half of the 4.3million deaths from the disease recorded across the continent in 2016 could be blamed on poor eating habits.
The researchers produced a league table showing countries in Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia – as well as Germany – suffer the most premature deaths because of their diets, while the hearts of people in countries in Central and Northern Europe are less badly affected
Figures from the Global Burden of Disease Study showed 2.1million people in the region died because of heart disease caused by what they eat.
The top half of the table is made up primarily of Asian and Eastern European countries.
Tajikistan with 310 diet-related deaths per 100,000 people ranks 8th among 51 nations in terms of unhealthy eating.
According to the study, unhealthy eating is deadliest in Uzbekistan ((394 diet-related deaths per 100,000 people).
Uzbekistan is followed by Turkmenistan (376) and Kyrgyzstan (350).
Kazakhstan with 306 diet-related deaths per 100,000 people ranks.9th.
Meanwhile, Spain and Israel with 43-diet related deaths per 100,000 people are at the bottom of the table.
The findings, using data from between 1990 and 2016, reveal people have different dietary problems in different countries.
In Sweden and Norway, for example, not eating enough nuts and seeds is the habit most associated with heart disease, according to the scientists.
Whereas in much of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the Central Asian countries involved in the region, a lack of whole grains is most concerning.
The research also looked at how people's diet affects other risk factors for heart disease, including obesity, high blood pressure and lack of exercise, but didn't include alcohol consumption.
The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) is a comprehensive regional and global research program of disease burden that assesses mortality and disability from major diseases, injuries, and risk factors. GBD is a collaboration of over 1,800 researchers from 127 countries.
The Global Burden of Disease Study began in 1990 as a single World Bank-commissioned study, now called GBD 1990. The original project quantified the health effects of more than 100 diseases and injuries for eight regions of the world, giving estimates of morbidity and mortality by age, sex, and region. It also introduced the disability-adjusted life year (DALY) as a new metric to quantify the burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors, to aid comparisons. GBD 1990 was "institutionalized" at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the research was "conducted mainly by researchers at Harvard and WHO".
