A multidisciplinary team of scientists has analyzed ten of the most popular diets in the world and evaluated the most and least healthy elements that contribute to heart health and has concluded that the Mediterranean, vegetarian and “pescatarian” are among those that report the highest benefits.
But the diet that has received the highest rating from scientists is “dash” eating (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), specifically geared towards stopping and reducing hypertension.
The findings have been published in a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association appearing today in the journal Circulation, which shows that two diets, known as “Paleolithic” (which excludes whole and refined grains, legumes, oils and dairy products) and “ketogenic” (very low carbohydrate), do not respond to heart-healthy eating patterns.
American researcher Christopher David Gardner, who has chaired the writing committee for the new scientific statement, has warned of the number of different and popular dietary patterns that have proliferated in recent years, and that the abundance of misinformation about them that circulates through social networks has reached “critical” levels.
Researchers have analyzed the ten most popular diets and their relationship with cardiometabolic health and the risk of heart and vascular diseases, and have studied the factors that most affect metabolism, such as blood glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure or body weight. , since abnormal levels of any of these factors can increase the risk of heart disease, and abnormalities in more than one multiply those risks.
The new guidelines for heart-healthy eating emphasize the importance of limiting unhealthy fats and reducing excess carbohydrate intake (especially processed carbohydrates and sugary drinks).
Among the ten diets analyzed are the so-called “dash”, the Mediterranean, the different modalities of the vegetarian style (those that include fish; those that include dairy products or eggs; or the vegan one), those that are low or very low in fat, that are low or very low in carbohydrates and the so-called “Paleolithic” diet.
The “dash” eating style has received a “perfect” score for meeting all the patterns recommended by the American Heart Association.
Those eating patterns are low in salt, added sugar, alcohol, tropical oils, and processed foods, and high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and non-starchy legumes; and in the case of this diet, protein tends to come primarily from plant sources (such as legumes, beans, or nuts), along with fish or shellfish, poultry, and lean meats and low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
The Mediterranean diet is also highly regarded, with scientists noting that it does not explicitly include added salt and contains moderate alcohol consumption (rather than avoiding or limiting it). Most of the characteristics of a vegetarian diet also align with the American Heart Association’s dietary guidelines.
In addition, pescatarian eating patterns and vegetarian diets that include eggs, dairy products -or both- have also been placed at the high level of this classification by scientists.
Regarding vegan and low-fat diets, which affect the consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and nuts, and which limit alcohol and foods and drinks with added sugars, the researchers have pointed out that they are difficult to follow long term or when eating out.
And they have observed that these diets can increase the risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency, which can cause red blood cell abnormalities leading to anemia and therefore supplementation may be recommended in many cases.
About low or very low fat diets, scientists have pointed out that they are useful to delay the accumulation of fat in the arteries, which is beneficial for losing weight, blood pressure, blood sugar or cholesterol, but they restrict the consumption of foods -such as nuts or healthy vegetable oils-, which can lead to anemia and muscle weakness.
The American Heart Association receives funding from individuals, foundations and companies (including some pharmaceutical companies), but has stressed in its publication that it follows “strict” policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the scientific content of its work.
