Healthy Eating Lowers Risk of Dying After a Heart Attack

Healthy Eating Lowers Risk of Dying After a Heart Attack
I know this may not seem like a surprise to those of us who are big believers in nutrition and healthy lifestyle, but it was a surprise for researchers. While it is generally acknowledged that eating healthy may reduce the risk of a heart attack, once you have heart disease and have had a heart attack, a lot of doctors may not think eating healthy makes much difference. Much of their focus is on the proper combination of medications to lower cholesterol and blood pressure and to thin the blood.  But diet and lifestyle can significantly impact these factors without the side effects of the medications.

This study created 2 dietary scores both for both healthy and unhealthy eating. The Dutch Healthy Nutrient and Food Score included nutrient dense food groups: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, potatoes, lean meat, fish, eggs, low fat milk and yogurt, oils, soft margarine, and noncaloric drinks. The Dutch Undesirable Nutrient and Food Score included foods high in solid fats, sodium, added sugar, processed fruit, high fat meats, processed meat, full fat milk, cheese, refined grains, butter and hard margarines, soups, spread, ready-to-eat meals, savory snacks, and sugar sweetened beverages. Cardiac patients who consumed 3 times more of the healthy foods than the unhealthy foods had a 30% lower risk of dying from heart disease. Unhealthy eating was summed up as including foods higher in solid fats, sodium, and/or sugar.

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/102/6/1527.abstract
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