AHA/ACC Statement Provides Guidance on Translating Nutrition Recommendations Into Practical Approaches

The American Heart Association (AHA) has released a scientific statement to translate 2013 AHA/American College of Cardiology dietary guidelines into practical approaches that can be implemented by health care providers and their staff with patients at risk for cardiovascular disease/high blood pressure or other cardiometabolic risks.

“The goal is to provide guidance for achieving adherence to a heart-healthy dietary pattern that accommodates cultural, ethnic, or economic influences that shape personal food preferences,” the researchers said. “Current population-wide dietary intake departs from many of these recommendations.”
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
New Stroke Guidelines Highlight Nutrition
Diet Strategies: Better Nutrition and Weight Loss
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The scientific statement discusses a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension dietary pattern, a traditional Mediterranean-style diet, the US Department of Agriculture food pattern, and the AHA dietary pattern, as well as approaches to encourage motivational interviewing and potential apps and other resources for self-monitoring of adherence to diet and lifestyle behaviors. The guidelines look to help patients develop a heart-healthy diet based on the foods they prefer and the amounts that help them with their weight.

It reinforces recommendations to eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, legumes, fish, poultry and lean meats, low-fat milk and dairy foods, and unsaturated liquid vegetable oils, as well as limit salt, sugar, saturated fat-containing foods like processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, and highly processed or refined grain products.

“The eating patterns and physical activity recommendations are suitable and desirable for the whole family,” said Linda V. Van Horn, PhD, RD, professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and chair of the writing group for the statement. “The opportunity for prevention of cardiovascular disease starts early in life. The goal is to help our children avoid the development of obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes by encouraging adults, parents, and caregivers to be role models and implement these heart-healthy behaviors throughout our society.”

—Mike Bederka

Reference:
Van Horn L, Carson JAS, Appel LJ, et al. Recommended dietary pattern to achieve adherence to the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) guidelines: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association [published online October 27, 2016]. Circulation. doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000000462.