Health officials have determined some of the best dietary plans for heart health.
The American Heart Association (AHA) released a report detailing how the top ten most popular dietary plans score in terms of heart health. This report reveals that some of these plans yield more benefits than others.
Health officials from the AHA released a scientific statement on April 27 reporting on how these popular diets align with the organization’s 2021 dietary guidance for maintaining a healthy heart.
“Numerous patterns strongly aligned with 2021 American Heart Association Dietary Guidance (ie, Mediterranean, DASH [Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension], pescetarian, vegetarian) can be adapted to reflect personal and cultural preferences and budgetary constraints,” said the AHA in the abstract to the statement.
The report scored the diets on a 1 to 100 scale based on how well they adhered to guidelines in terms of cardiovascular health. These plans were then divided into four tiers based on these scores.
The DASH, Mediterranean, pescetarian, and vegetarian diets were all ranked within the top tier.
Only one plan, DASH, received a perfect score. Officials describe the plan as being low in salt, added sugar, alcohol, and other substances and rich in non-starchy vegetables, appropriate proteins, and low-fat dairy options. The pescatarian diet followed behind with a score of 92, Mediterranean with a score of 89, and vegetarian with a score of 86.
The chair of the statement writing committee, Christopher D. Gardner, said that the diets in the top tier not only best adhere to AHA guidelines but also can be adapted for long-term implementation.
Paleolithic and ketogenic diets were rated within the bottom tier with scores of 53 and 3, respectively.
Researchers have previously used low-carb diets like keto as a way to improve blood glucose levels. Although the results were not conclusive of an effect on blood glucose levels, the satiating nature of the keto diet lends itself to its popularity.
“Both [diets], which are used for weight loss, align poorly with heart-healthy eating guidelines and have not been shown to be any more effective for weight loss than less restrictive diets over the long term,” said AHA officials in the press release for the report.
Gardner said that these bottom-tier plans are not only “highly restrictive” but also unsustainable in their ability to affect long-term benefits.
“We often find that people don’t fully understand popular eating patterns and aren’t following them as intended,” said Gardner in the press release. “When that is the case, it is challenging to determine the effect of the ‘diet as intended’ and distinguish that from the ‘diet as followed,'” he continued.
Interestingly, despite the ongoing obesity crisis, scientists have struggled to determine which diet is best for weight loss, as there is no diet “universally recognized as having any utility in weight management,” according to a 2004 publication from the U.S. Institute of Medicine.
When looking at individuals who have been successful at losing weight, researchers identified some common techniques, including “self-monitoring, contact with and support from others, regular physical activity, development of problem-solving skills (to deal with difficult environments and situations), and relapse-prevention/limitation skills,” according to the publication.
Researchers identified an additional factor that was common among those who had successfully lost weight: a “strong personal motivation to succeed in weight management.”
