Many heart attack patients think the cardiovascular drugs they take will prevent a second heart attack, but they need to add a healthy diet as well to that prescription, new research finds.
A study of almost 32,000 patients in 40 countries discovered that those who ate a heart-health diet experienced the following benefits:
• 35 percent reduction in cardiovascular death risk
• 14 percent reduction in recurrent heart attack risk
• 28 percent reduction in heart failure risk
• 19 percent reduction in stroke risk
The study, which was posted online in the journal Circulation, is believed to be the first that
shows that a heart-healthy diet significantly lowers further heart-related risk, even beyond the effect of the medications that are routinely prescribed for heart attack survivors.
A heart-healthy diet was indicated by a high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and
nuts as well as a higher intake of fish compared to meat, poultry, and eggs.
If you’ve had a heart attack, it isn’t enough to just take your medications; you also have to
adhere to a healthy diet or risk another heart attack or cardiac event.
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