Some of the most popular diet plans can help with weight loss, which can reduce the risk of heart disease. But an eating plan that includes lots of unhealthy oils and saturated fats can increase your risk of heart disease, even if it helps you lose weight.
That’s why a committee of experts from the American Heart Association developed a ranking of the 10 best diets in the US, ranking them based on how well they followed heart-healthy guidelines. It is the first time that the heart association has rated the most popular diets.
The list, published Thursday in Circulation, gave the lowest scores to the paleo and ketogenic, or keto, diets for their reliance on animal-based fats, such as butter and full-fat dairy, while severely restricting carbohydrates. .
Top marks were given to the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, which focuses on whole grains, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. The pescatarian (eat fish but no red meat) and vegetarian diets also scored highly for their heart benefits.
It’s not that eating fat in general is bad for your heart, said committee chair Christopher Gardner, a professor of medicine at Stanford University. Unsaturated fats, such as oils from plants, such as olive oil or sunflower oil, or fish, such as salmon and walnuts, can lower LDL cholesterol levels and lower the risk of heart disease.
Gardner and other committee members rated the diets according to how well they followed the American Heart Association’s scientific recommendations. Guidelines for a healthy heart:
- Eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruits.
- Choose foods that contain mostly whole grains instead of refined grains.
- Choose healthy sources of protein, such as plants (legumes and nuts), fish and shellfish, and low-fat or fat-free dairy instead of full-fat dairy.
- If meat is included, cuts should be lean and processed forms should be avoided.
- Use liquid vegetable oils (olive, safflower, corn) instead of animal fats (butter and lard) and tropical oils (coconut, palm kernel).
- Eat minimally processed foods instead of ultra-processed foods.
- Limit the consumption of drinks and foods with added sugars.
- Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt.
- Avoid or limit alcohol.
In the new report, the committee divided the diets into four tiers, based on a given point for each guideline.
The highest scoring diets included:
- DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), because of its reliance on fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and low-fat dairy products.
- Mediterranean, which is rich in fish and shellfish, vegetables, nuts and whole grains.
- Vegetarian, including eggs or dairy or both.
- Pescetarian, which is based on fish as the main source of protein.
Vegan and low-fat diets were classified in the second tier. Both encourage the consumption of beans and nuts while limiting alcohol and foods and beverages with added sugars. However, following a strict vegan diet could contribute to vitamin B-12 deficiency, according to heart experts. Low-fat diets lost points for treating all fats equally and because people tended to substitute carbohydrates or added sugars for fat.
The third tier included diets that were very low in carbohydrates and very low in fat because they were too low in fiber or because they restricted fruits, nuts, and healthy fats, such as vegetable oils.
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Keto and paleo diets also fell into the fourth tier, in part due to restrictions on fruits, whole grains and legumes, which can result in reduced fiber intake, Gardner said.
Dr. Deepak Bhatt, director of Mount Sinai Heart and professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said: «The recommendations align not only with the science, but also probably with what our mothers told us when we We grew up: Eat your fruits and vegetables”.
The highest-scoring diets also emphasize whole grains, which «not only reduce cardiovascular risk but also the risk of cancer and other ailments, such as diabetes,» said Bhatt, who was not associated with the new report.
Brooke Aggarwal, an assistant professor of medical sciences in the division of cardiology at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, said the American Heart Association «has done a great job of taking popular diets and categorizing them based on how well they align with the AHA guidelines.»
“Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, so we should all be concerned with how to prevent it,” Aggarwal said.
For people drawn to the keto and paleo diets, eating more unsaturated fats could help.
«If you prefer red meat, then it should be lean,» he said.
The key to reducing your risk of heart disease is to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables, choose healthy sources of protein, and minimize processed foods.
“Ultimately, it comes down to what a person can adhere to and fit into their lifestyle,” Aggarwal said. «Controlling weight is important.»