Heart Disease and Diet
Alternate Names : Diet for Coronary Heart Disease, Known As CHD, Diet for Coronary Artery Disease, Known As CAD, Diet for Cardiovascular Disease, Known As CVD
Heart disease
is a broad term for any condition that affects the heart and blood vessels.
This includes:
heart attack
stroke
high blood pressure
stable angina
unstable angina
congestive heart failure
poor circulation
arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats.
Certain major risk factors have been shown to increase a
person's chances of developing heart disease. Experts also believe other factors
may also add to one's risk. These are called contributing factors. Some of
these risk and contributing factors can be treated, or even prevented.
Major risk factors include:
family history of heart disease
early heart attack or sudden death of father or brother before the
age of 55
early heart attack or sudden death of mother or sister before the
age of 65
increasing age
45 years or older for men
55 years or older for women
being male
Other risk factors include:
smoking
high blood pressure
high blood cholesterol
being physically inactive
being overweight or obese
diabetes
Contributing factors include:
choosing unhealthy habits to handle stress,
for example, driving too fast, drinking alcohol,
or getting angry
using birth control pills
when you are a smoker or have high blood pressure
drinking too much alcohol
having a change in sex hormone levels, as a result of natural or surgical
menopause
What is the information for this topic?
The American Heart Association, called
AHA, provides dietary guidelines for healthy eating which can reduce
three risk factors for
heart disease:
high blood cholesterol
high blood pressure
excess body weight
Apply the following guidelines to the overall eating pattern.
Achieve an overall healthy eating pattern.
Choose a balanced diet with foods from all major
food groups, with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables and grains.
Eat 5 or more servings per day of fruits and vegetables.
Eat 6 or more servings per day of grain products, including whole grains.
Include fat-free and low-fat milk products, beans, skinless poultry,
and lean meats.
Eat at least 2 servings of fish per week, especially fatty fish.
Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
Avoid excess intake of calories.
Maintain a level of physical activity that achieves fitness
and balances energy output with calorie intake. For weight
reduction, one must burn more calories through exercise than one takes in.
Limit foods that are high in calories and/or low in nutritional
quality, including those with a high amount of added sugar.
Achieve a healthy cholesterol level.
Limit foods with a high content of saturated fat and cholesterol.
Instead, substitute grains and unsaturated fat
that comes from vegetables, fish, legumes, and nuts.
Limit cholesterol
to 300 milligrams (mg) a day for those without heart disease or any heart
disease risk factors. For those with heart disease or its risk factors, limit
cholesterol to 200 mg a day.
Limit trans-fats.
Trans-fats are found in foods that have partially hydrogenated
vegetable oils, such as packaged cookies, crackers and other baked
goods, commercially prepared fried foods, and some margarines.
Achieve a healthy blood pressure
level.
Limit salt intake to less than 6 grams or 2,400 mg of
sodium
per day. This equates to slightly more than 1 teaspoon of salt a day.
If a person drinks alcohol,
daily intake should be held to no more than 1 drink per day for women and 2
drinks per day for men.
In summary, the AHA recommends that:
Total fat intake per day is no more than 30 percent of total calories.
Saturated fat intake is less than 10 percent of total calories.
Cholesterol intake is less than 300 mg per day.
Although the AHA guidelines were developed to help
healthy people prevent heart disease, they can also benefit those
with other medical conditions. This includes:
diabetes
kidney disease
preexisting heart disease
elevated LDL,
the so-called bad cholesterol
congestive heart failure
obesity
For people who already have heart disease, AHA recommends
following the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Therapeutic
Lifestyle Changes, called TLC, diet. This diet is outlined in detail at
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/chd/lifestyles.htm. Here is a summary:
Make sure less than 25-35 percent of each day's total calories come from fat.
No more than 7 percent of total calories per day should come from
saturated fat.
Eat foods with less than 200 mg of cholesterol per day.
Limit salt intake to 2400 mg per day.
Eat just enough calories to achieve or maintain weight within a healthy
range.
Anyone thinking about trying the TLC diet should talk with the
doctor first to learn what is a reasonable daily calorie level for him or her. A
registered dietician can also be helpful in making eating habit changes and
in learning how to choose foods and plan menus.
When the TLC diet does not lower blood cholesterol levels enough,
the doctor may suggest adding more fiber to the diet. There are also cholesterol-
lowering foods available. These are foods such as margarines and salad
dressings that contain plant sterol esters or plant stanol esters. Some
people may also need to take cholesterol-lowering medicine.
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