Treatments to cut our risk of repeat heart attacks appear to work better if we make our diets healthier, says research. Scientists from the Population, Health Research Institute discovered that medication combined with a nutrient-rich diet protected the wellness of those taking part in the study.
Proven effects
It’s long been known that a healthy diet can reduce our risk of strokes, heart disease, diabetes and cancers. But when we get started on some treatments that work really well, like medication given to lower cholesterol, we may feel like we don’t have to try so hard to eat healthily. This new study suggests the opposite, in fact it indicates that we can get the best from our heart disease medications by continuing to protect our wellness via nutrient-rich meals.
Plate it up
Researchers looked at the rates of heart attacks and strokes in people who’d suffered cardiac problems in the past, or whose organs were affected by diabetes. They reviewed the diets of over 31,000 people, finding out what they liked to eat on a daily basis. Those who favoured fish over red meat and those who frequently ate vegetables had the best heart health. This group were a third less likely to have a fatal heart attack, with their risk of a second cardiac arrest reduced by 14 per cent. They were also 28 per cent less likely to get congestive heart failure and their chances of suffering a stroke fell by 19 per cent.
What this means
The researchers explain that as well as taking medicines, such as beta-blockers and aspirin – we could protect our heart health even more by regularly serving up vegetables and fish, rather than red meat. They believe that a healthy diet may even go as far as deactivating genes that can lead to heart disease in the first place.
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