Diet as preventive medicine in cardiology.

Because the main cause of death in patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD) is sudden cardiac death (SCD), physicians should develop specific strategy, including dietary changes, to prevent it. In the long term, reduction of the diet-dependent chronic risk factors of CHD, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes, is also important. The association of the cardioprotective effects of the Mediterranean diet (through various mechanisms, likely including the prevention of SCD) with those expected from the reduction of blood lipids and blood pressure and a better control of diabetes (in addition to its gastronomic appeal) renders this dietary pattern extremely attractive for public health purposes. Experimental and epidemiologic studies, as well as randomized trials, clearly demonstrated that n-3 fatty acids reduce the risk of SCD in CHD patients. Their use is now encouraged either as supplements or as part of a Mediterranean-type diet.