Consuming too much saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium increases the risk for high blood pressure, coronary artery disease and other serious cardiac conditions. Those who have had a heart attack, people with existing heart disease and those with a family history of heart disease should follow the cardiac patient diet to reduce these risks.
Significance
The American Heart Association reports that cardiovascular diseases accounted for 34.3 percent of all American deaths in 2006. These diseases include high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and coronary heart disease. This represents 831,272 lives lost as a result of heart diseases, which exceeds the total number of lives lost to cancer or HIV/AIDS. Additionally, over 151,000 of those who died were under the age of 65. The cardiac patient diet is just one of the steps needed to reduce the mortality and complications associated with heart diseases.
Features
Healthy people can eat up to 65 g of fat, 20 g of saturated fat, 300 mg of cholesterol and 2,500 mg of sodium each day as part of a 2,000-calorie diet, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. Those with existing cardiovascular diseases and those at risk for cardiovascular diseases should eat less of these substances. Decatur Memorial Hospital recommends limiting your total fat intake to less than 30 percent of your daily calories, and getting less than 7 percent of your total daily calories from saturated fat. Discuss your individual circumstances with your doctor to determine how much sodium you should consume each day.
Benefits
Following the cardiac patient diet reduces the risk of high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis and heart attack. Reducing the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet reduces cholesterol levels. Since excess sodium causes fluid retention and makes the heart work harder, eating less sodium reduces swelling and reduces blood pressure.
Research
The Women's Health Dietary Modification Trial revealed that the type of fat you eat plays an important role in controlling cholesterol levels. This study followed 49,000 participants, some of whom ate a low-fat diet. Others did not eat a low-fat diet. Of particular interest to study investigators was the impact that trans fat consumption had on the risk of cardiovascular disease. Women who replaced 7 g of carbohydrates with just 4 g of trans fats each day doubled their risk for heart disease. This study appeared in the February 8, 2006 issue of the "Journal of the American Medical Association."
Tips
Unsaturated fats, also known as good fats, may lower your risk for heart disease, according to the McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois. Omega-3 fatty acids also play several important roles in the body. They maintain the structure of the cell membranes, regulate gene production and enable the use of cholesterol and regulate the production of enzymes. Replace foods containing saturated fat with those that contain monounsaturated or poly unsaturated fat. Healthier options include almonds, walnuts, flaxseed, salmon, trout, avocado, corn oil, canola oil, soybean oil and olives.
References
- American Heart Association: Cardiovascular Disease Statistics
- U.S. Food & Drug Administration: How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label
- Decatur Memorial Hospital: Cardiac Diet Nutritional Information
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol -- Out with the Bad, In with the Good
- McKinley Health Center: Flax Seeds and Nutritional Needs
