A higher-quality diet appears to be important for heart health. A study published recently in the American Journal of Medicine pooled data from six U.S. studies. Participants were grouped by how closely their dietary intake aligned with known high-quality, health-promoting dietary patterns (the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendations, a Mediterranean-style dietary pattern, and the DASH diet).
Consuming a higher-quality diet was associated with lower risks for CVD and mortality and longer cardiovascular disease-free survival, regardless of race, ethnicity, and sex or age at the time of dietary assessment.
CVD is a leading cause of death, affecting more than one in three U.S. adults. Consuming a high-quality diet has a clear impact on CVD risk, but less than two percent of U.S. adults consume an ideal healthy diet. While adopting a healthy eating pattern as early as possible and maintaining that healthy eating pattern over time may have the most impact, it is never too late to make positive dietary changes.