The Cardiac Diet is a specific eating plan created for people who have had heart attacks, have coronary heart disease or are at a high risk for developing heart disease. Many people with cardiac, or heart problems, take medications to protect their hearts. Since heart disease contributes to millions of premature deaths in America every year, fighting heart disease through the diet is also important.
History
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the three different stages of the Cardiac Diet were originally created by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Association’s National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). The diet was endorsed by the AHA. The three stages of the Cardiac Diet each have different goals and different nutritional requirements regarding fat and cholesterol intake. The May 2001, the American Heart Association adopted the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet in replacement of the stages of the Cardiac Diet. Though some hospitals and doctors still use the stages of the Cardiac Diet.
Diet Purpose
The main purpose of stage two of the cardiac diet was to reduce cholesterol levels, and thereby, decrease a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Stage two of the Cardiac Diet was created for people who have a serum cholesterol level of 240 mg/dl or higher according to the American Heart Association.
Cholesterol Intake
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute recommended a dietary cholesterol intake of less than 200 mg per day on stage two of the Cardiac Diet, and that recommendation has been rolled over to the newest TLC diet as well. For many people, limiting cholesterol intake to 200 mg or less is difficult since cholesterol is found in foods like eggs, meat, dairy and seafood. Eating more plant-based foods can help you decrease your cholesterol intake.
Saturated Fat
Stage two of the Cardiac Diet, which is now the TLC diet also recommends an intake of less than 7 percent of total calories from saturated fat, in order to protect the heart. Therefore, if a man eats 2300 calories a day, he should eat 17.8 g of saturated fat or less in order to maintain the Cardiac Diet recommendations. Saturated fat is found in meats like beef, chicken and pork as well as dairy products. Switching from full fat dairy products like whole milk to low fat dairy like 1 percent milk can significantly reduce your saturated fat intake.
Effectiveness
The “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” tested the specific guidelines of stage two of the NCEP’s Cardiac Diet for effectiveness. The journal found that study participants who were put on stage two of the Cardiac diet had significantly reduced the size of low density lipoprotein particles, which are a dangerous type of cholesterol that can clog the arteries. The study participants also had reductions in blood pressure, but no significant changes in total cholesterol levels after 6 weeks, according to the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.”
References
- American Heart Association: Step I , Step II and TLC Diets
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Effects of National Cholesterol Education Program Step 2 diets relatively high or relatively low in fish-derived fatty acids on plasma lipoproteins in middle-aged and elderly subjects: EJ Schaefer, AH Lichtenstein, S Lamon-Fava, et a.
- The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Your Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol with TLC
