Monica Dinu1, Giuditta Pagliai1, Francesco Sofi2,3,4. 1. Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134, Florence, Italy. 2. Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134, Florence, Italy. francesco.sofi@unifi.it. 3. Clinical Nutrition Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy. francesco.sofi@unifi.it. 4. Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation Italy, Onlus IRCCS, Florence, Italy. francesco.sofi@unifi.it.
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this study is to review the current evidence on the relationship between diet and heart, giving practical recommendations for cardiovascular prevention. RECENT FINDINGS: A heart-healthy diet should maximize the consumption of whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and legumes and discourage the consumption of meat and meat products as well as refined and processed foods. Plant-based diets fully meet these criteria, and the evidence supporting the protective effect of these dietary patterns evolved rapidly in recent years. Among plant-based diets, the Mediterranean and vegetarian diets gained the greater interest, having been associated with numerous health benefits such as reduced levels of traditional and novel risk factors and lower risk of cardiovascular disease. These positive effects may be explained by their high content of dietary fiber, complex carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and phytochemicals. Current evidence suggests that both Mediterranean and vegetarian diets are consistently beneficial with respect to cardiovascular disease.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this study is to review the current evidence on the relationship between diet and heart, giving practical recommendations for cardiovascular prevention. RECENT FINDINGS: A heart-healthy diet should maximize the consumption of whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and legumes and discourage the consumption of meat and meat products as well as refined and processed foods. Plant-based diets fully meet these criteria, and the evidence supporting the protective effect of these dietary patterns evolved rapidly in recent years. Among plant-based diets, the Mediterranean and vegetarian diets gained the greater interest, having been associated with numerous health benefits such as reduced levels of traditional and novel risk factors and lower risk of cardiovascular disease. These positive effects may be explained by their high content of dietary fiber, complex carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and phytochemicals. Current evidence suggests that both Mediterranean and vegetarian diets are consistently beneficial with respect to cardiovascular disease.
Authors: Ramón Estruch; Emilio Ros; Jordi Salas-Salvadó; Maria-Isabel Covas; Dolores Corella; Fernando Arós; Enrique Gómez-Gracia; Valentina Ruiz-Gutiérrez; Miquel Fiol; José Lapetra; Rosa Maria Lamuela-Raventos; Lluís Serra-Majem; Xavier Pintó; Josep Basora; Miguel Angel Muñoz; José V Sorlí; José Alfredo Martínez; Miguel Angel Martínez-González Journal: N Engl J Med Date: 2013-02-25 Impact factor: 91.245
Authors: Andrew Mente; Martin O'Donnell; Sumathy Rangarajan; Gilles Dagenais; Scott Lear; Matthew McQueen; Rafael Diaz; Alvaro Avezum; Patricio Lopez-Jaramillo; Fernando Lanas; Wei Li; Yin Lu; Sun Yi; Lei Rensheng; Romaina Iqbal; Prem Mony; Rita Yusuf; Khalid Yusoff; Andrzej Szuba; Aytekin Oguz; Annika Rosengren; Ahmad Bahonar; Afzalhussein Yusufali; Aletta Elisabeth Schutte; Jephat Chifamba; Johannes F E Mann; Sonia S Anand; Koon Teo; S Yusuf Journal: Lancet Date: 2016-05-20 Impact factor: 79.321
Authors: Paul N Appleby; Francesca L Crowe; Kathryn E Bradbury; Ruth C Travis; Timothy J Key Journal: Am J Clin Nutr Date: 2015-12-09 Impact factor: 7.045
Authors: Dagfinn Aune; Edward Giovannucci; Paolo Boffetta; Lars T Fadnes; NaNa Keum; Teresa Norat; Darren C Greenwood; Elio Riboli; Lars J Vatten; Serena Tonstad Journal: Int J Epidemiol Date: 2017-06-01 Impact factor: 7.196
Authors: María-Teresa García-Conesa; Karen Chambers; Emilie Combet; Paula Pinto; Mar Garcia-Aloy; Cristina Andrés-Lacueva; Sonia de Pascual-Teresa; Pedro Mena; Alekxandra Konic Ristic; Wendy J Hollands; Paul A Kroon; Ana Rodríguez-Mateos; Geoffrey Istas; Christos A Kontogiorgis; Dilip K Rai; Eileen R Gibney; Christine Morand; Juan Carlos Espín; Antonio González-Sarrías Journal: Int J Mol Sci Date: 2018-02-28 Impact factor: 5.923
Authors: Dina A I Albadawi; Divyashree Ravishankar; Thomas M Vallance; Ketan Patel; Helen M I Osborn; Sakthivel Vaiyapuri Journal: Int J Mol Sci Date: 2022-01-06 Impact factor: 6.208