Dietary interventions good for heart

After a heart attack, adopting either a low-fat or Mediterranean-style diet similarly and significantly benefits cardiovascular and overall health. The traditional Mediterranean diet is rich in plant-based foods - vegetables, fruits, whole grain breads and cereals, legumes, and nuts - as well as olive oil and fish. To determine the benefits of low-fat and Mediterranean diet for heart patients, American researchers made 50 participants to follow low-fat diet and 51 to have Mediterranean diet for eight years. The men and women had suffered their first heart attack within 6 weeks of enrolling in the study, and received individual and group dietary counseling for up to 24 months. They were also encouraged to exercise, lose weight and stop smoking if needed. It was found that 8 individuals in each dietary intervention group had either a second heart attack, unstable angina (chest pain on exertion), or stroke. None of the participants had died. The researchers assessed a similar group of 101 first-heart attack patients who did not participate in the study but received usual care. Out of these 101 patients, 33 had subsequent heart attack, heart failure, unstable angina, or stroke, and 7 deaths (3 heart-related). The findings indicate that both low-fat and Mediterranean diets provide similar amounts of protein, carbohydrates, cholesterol, and unhealthy saturated fats. However, a Mediterranean diet has higher amounts of healthy monounsaturated fats, particularly omega-3 fatty acids that are found in fish. Either of the diets can be an effective component of post-heart attack lifestyle changes. The researchers asserted that dietary interventions do help heart patients in improving their cardiovascular and overall health.

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