Heart-healthy Dietary Guidelines Released

The American Heart Association (AHA) has updated its dietary guidelines to make them more helpful to a broader public audience. While still promoting balanced eating patterns among healthy Americans, the new guidelines also include advice for people at high risk for heart disease and stroke, as well as for those who already suffer from these conditions.

By addressing the special dietary needs of people with or at risk for hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, insulin resistance, renal failure, heart failure, and other conditions, these guidelines are unique in the nutrition arena. Dietitians and health care providers may use the AHA guidelines as a tool to develop specific medical nutrition therapies for these at-risk populations.

The revised guidelines frame recommendations in terms of foods rather than nutrients because "that's how people eat," said Terry Bazzarre, Ph.D., staff scientist at the AHA's National Center in Dallas, Texas. Rather than focusing on the percent of calories from fat, for example, the emphasis is on maintaining an overall healthy eating pattern. "Americans still need to limit saturated fats and cholesterol, but if they follow the new dietary guidelines, they will be consuming a balanced diet rich in nutrients, and may not need to calculate percentages or amounts of specific dietary components," said Ronald M. Krauss, M.D., the guidelines' principal author and a senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California.

The guidelines also emphasize the need for all Americans to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. "It is best if people reduce their caloric intake by following our guidelines for healthy adults—a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, and leaner cuts of meat eaten in smaller portions," said Dr. Kraus. The guidelines also recommend exercising more to achieve cardiovascular fitness and to help balance energy expenditure with calorie intake.

Other dietary changes may help lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure. To reduce cholesterol, limiting foods high in saturated fat and trans fatty acids is recommended. To achieve a desirable blood pressure level, the guidelines suggest maintaining a healthy body weight, limiting salt intake, and reducing alcohol consumption.

The consumer booklet An Eating Plan for Healthy Americans: The New 2000 Food Guidelines is available from the American Heart Association website at www.americanheart.org.

AHA Dietary Guidelines. Revision 2000: A Statement for Healthcare Providers From the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association appeared in the October 31, 2000 issue of Circulation, and can be accessed at http://circ.ahajournals.org.s