Eating a Balanced Diet Supports Your Heart Health New American Heart Association Dietary Guidelines
1/26/2022
BIRMINGHAM, AL (January 26, 2022) ----As February approaches, the focus turns to American Hearth Month. This year, there is a renewed attention on dietary interventions to improve cardiovascular health.
In December 2021, the American Heart Association issued updated dietary guidelines addressing the importance of heart healthy dietary patterns. The impact of adherence to these guidelines, that promote high-quality versus low-quality foods, can improve cardiovascular mortality by 14% to 28%.
Higher quality dietary patterns emphasize fruit, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish and lean poultry over diet patterns that include sweetened beverages, processed foods, high sodium content foods, alcohol and non-plant-based oils. Including high quality foods in your diet and minimizing the lower quality items can lead to improved cardiovascular health.
Maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life is also a focus of the guidelines. Sedentary lifestyles have replaced more active lifestyles over the past three decades. This, coupled with diets that are higher in calories, can lead to a positive energy balance and a trend toward excess body weight.
“Engaging in 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week and maintaining a heart healthy diet will lead to improved cardiovascular outcomes,” explained cardiologist Mark Sasse, M.D., of Alabama Cardiovascular Group.
The updated guidelines also demonstrate how a change in dietary patterns improve all-cause mortality in other chronic conditions.
“The benefits of high quality dietary choices extend beyond reductions in heart disease risk,” said Dr. Sasse. “Improving dietary choices reduces mortality from chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases.”
According to Dr. Sasse, the take home message for heart month is simple changes can make a significant impact on your life. These changes include:
- Add more vegetables to your diet
- Substitute a piece of fruit in place of drinking juices
- Add whole grains to your diet instead of processed carbohydrates
- Switch your protein sources from processed meats and beef to nuts, legumes, and lean poultry and fish
- Keep salt to a minimum
To find a physician or learn more about healthy choices for you, visit grandviewmedicalgroup.com or call 205-971-DOCS (205-971-3627).
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Source:
Lichtenstein AH, Appel LJ, Vadiveloo M, Hu FB, Kris-Etherton PM, Rebholz CM, Sacks FM, Thorndike AN, Van Horn L, Wylie-Rosett J; on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology; Council on Cardiovascular Radiology and Intervention; Council on Clinical Cardiology; and Stroke Council. 2021 Dietary guidance to improve cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2021;144:e472–e487. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001031
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