Nutrition Recommendations for a Healthier Heart: Getting Patients on Board

Providing a food basket for 6 months led to the same small improvements as providing a pamphlet on a healthy diet.

A heart-healthy diet is a cornerstone in the primary and secondary prevention of heart disease. Getting patients to adopt this diet remains a challenge. Investigators in Canada assessed the effects of 6 months of dietary advice and food provision on weight and cardiovascular risk factors in 919 healthy participants (mean age, 45; body-mass index [BMI], 32.4 kg/m²).

They were randomized to:

Telephone-delivered advice to follow the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet and to eat cholesterol-lowering foods, plus a weekly food basket consistent with the advice
Advice only
Food delivery only
Diet as usual

All groups received Health Canada's food guide.

At 6 months, all groups showed only small increases in intake of fruits, vegetables, a…

Reviewing Author

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Nutrition Recommendations for a Healthier Heart: Getting Patients on Board

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Reviewing Author