Comparing 2 heart-healthy diets
Heartwire reports, “high-risk patients who have survived a first MI [myocardial infarction] can reduce their risk of subsequent cardiovascular events by eating either a Mediterranean-style diet or the low-fat diet recommended by the AHA [American Heart Association], with no differences in risk reduction between the two diets.”
These are the findings from a study by Dr Katherine Tuttle from the Providence Medical Research Center in Spokane, Washington during the American College of Cardiology 2007 meeting.
101 patients were assigned to the AHA’s step II diet or a Mediterranean-style diet within 6 weeks of their heart attack.
- After 46 months, there were no differences in rates of death, MI, unstable angina, stroke, or hospital admission for congestive heart failure between the groups.
- People randomized to either diet were significantly more likely than people in the usual-care group to avoid these events over the follow-up period.
Dr. Tuttle concluded that the findings should provide more options for people who simply don’t like to eat the signature foods of the Mediterranean diet, namely lots of fish and plant-based proteins.
4/6/07 20:21 JR
