Heart patients should modify their diet to help prevent recurrent heart attacks and stroke, according to a new analysis.
Research published in yesterday’s edition of Circulation says patients eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits with a high ratio of fish to meats enjoyed a reduced risk of suffering from repeated heart attack or stroke.
Researcher Dr Mahshid Dehghan, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, said many patients erroneously believe that they do not need to follow a healthy diet because their medication lowers blood pressure and cholesterol.
“That is wrong,” she said. “Dietary modification has benefits in addition to those seen with aspirin, angiotensin modulators, lipid-lowering agents and beta blockers.”
Researchers followed 31,546 adults with an average age of 66.5, all of whom had heart disease or end organ damage.
Each was asked how often they included milk, vegetables, fruits, grains, fish, meat and poultry in their diet over the previous 12 months and they were also asked about lifestyle choices, such as alcohol consumption, smoking and exercise.
Total scores were determined by daily fruits, vegetables, grains and milk consumed and the ratio of fish to meats consumed.
During a follow-up of nearly five years, there were 5,190 heart/stroke incidents, but it those who ate a heart-healthy diet had a 35 per cent reduced risk of death from heart disease; a 14 per cent reduction in risk for new heart attacks; 28 per cent reduction in the risk for congestive heart failure; and 19 per cent reduction in risk for stroke.
“Physicians should advise their high-risk patients to improve their diet and eat more vegetables, fruits, grains and fish,” Dehghan said. “This could substantially reduce cardiovascular recurrence beyond drug therapy alone and save lives globally.”
Dehghan M et al. Relationship Between Healthy Diet and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Among Patients on Drug Therapies for Secondary Prevention A Prospective Cohort Study of 31 546 High-Risk Individuals From 40 Countries. Circulation doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.103234
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