Healthy Diet Reduces Second Heart Attack Risk
December 12, 2012 by UPI - United Press International, Inc.
HAMILTON, Ontario (UPI) — Heart patients who ate a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fish significantly reduced their chance of a second heart attack, researchers in Canada say.
Lead author Mahshid Dehghan, a nutritionist at McMaster University’s Population Health Research Institute, said the five-year study of almost 32,000 patients — average age 66 — in 40 countries discovered those who ate a heart-healthy diet had a:
- 35 percent reduction in risk for cardiovascular death.
- 14 percent reduction in risk for new heart attacks.
- 28 percent reduction in risk for congestive heart failure.
- 19 percent reduction in risk for stroke.
“At times, patients don’t think they need to follow a healthy diet since their medications have already lowered their blood pressure and cholesterol — that is wrong,” Dehghan said in a statement. “Dietary modification has benefits in addition to those seen with aspirin, angiotensin modulators, lipid-lowering agents and beta blockers.”
Participants with cardiovascular disease were asked how often they consumed milk, vegetables, fruits, grains, fish, nuts, meat and poultry over the past 12 months. A healthy diet was indicated by a high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts as well as a high intake of fish compared to meat, poultry and eggs.
The study, published in the American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal, found a heart-healthy diet offered a “consistent benefit” over and above the benefits of taking medications to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke.
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