When it comes to choosing a diet, it can be overwhelming with so many options available.
A recent scientific statement from the American Heart Association (AHA) provides an evidence-based analysis of 10 popular eating patterns to help you make informed decisions about your heart health.
This analysis reveals which diets align with heart-healthy guidelines and which ones may not be as beneficial.
The Proliferation of Dietary Patterns
In recent years, there has been a surge in the popularity of different dietary patterns. The information about these diets, often found on social media, can be confusing.
Many people, including healthcare professionals, may find it challenging to evaluate these diets and understand which ones are truly heart-healthy.
Christopher D. Gardner, the chair of the statement writing committee and a professor at Stanford University, emphasizes the need for clarity in this area.
He hopes that this statement will serve as a valuable tool for both clinicians and the public, enabling them to make informed decisions about diets that promote good cardiometabolic health.
Evaluating Dietary Patterns
The AHA report evaluates 10 popular diets or eating patterns based on how well they align with nine of the AHA’s dietary guidance for heart-healthy eating.
These guidelines include consuming a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, choosing whole grains over refined grains, using plant oils instead of tropical oils, opting for healthy sources of protein, reducing added sugars and salt, limiting alcohol, choosing minimally processed foods, and following these guidelines regardless of where food is prepared or consumed.
The Rankings
The diets were rated on a scale of 1 to 100 for their adherence to the AHA’s guidance. The results divided the diets into four tiers:
Top Tier: The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan scored the highest with a perfect 100. This diet is low in salt, added sugar, tropical oil, alcohol, and processed foods.
It emphasizes non-starchy vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and proteins from plant sources, seafood, lean meats, and low-fat dairy.
Second Tier: Vegan and low-fat diets received a score of 78 each. These diets prioritize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and nuts while limiting alcohol and added sugars.
However, the vegan diet’s strictness may pose challenges, and it could lead to vitamin B-12 deficiency.
Third Tier: Very low-fat and low-carb diets scored 72 and 64, respectively. These diets restrict foods that the AHA encourages.
For instance, very low-fat diets limit nuts and healthy plant oils, while low-carb diets restrict fruits, grains, and legumes, potentially leading to lower fiber intake and higher saturated fat consumption.
Bottom Tier: Paleolithic and very low-carb/ketogenic diets scored the lowest, with 53 and 31, respectively.
These diets are not in line with heart-healthy eating guidelines and may not be more effective for long-term weight loss. They also tend to be high in fat without limiting saturated fats.
Sustainability and Adherence
The diets in the bottom tier are often highly restrictive and challenging to maintain over the long term. While they may offer short-term benefits and weight loss, sustainability is a significant concern.
For a diet to be effective in helping individuals maintain their weight-loss goals, it needs to be practical and sustainable.
Conflicting information about popular diets can add to the confusion. People may not fully understand these eating patterns or may not follow them as intended.
This can make it difficult to determine the true effects of these diets. Research findings may seem contradictory because of variations in adherence.
The Way Forward
To ensure the effectiveness of heart-healthy eating patterns, more research and education are needed. It’s essential to find culturally relevant ways for people to follow these patterns.
Additionally, historically marginalized groups should be included in research to address diet-related disparities. Policies that improve access to healthy foods in underserved communities are also necessary to promote heart health for all.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about how to remove plaques that cause heart attacks, and results showing a new way to prevent heart attacks, strokes.
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