The 10 most famous diets put to the test: which are ‘heart-saving’? – breaking latest news

Some of the most famous diets are also ‘heart-saving’, while others should definitely be revised: the experts of the American Heart Association declared this in a document published in Circulation, after analyzing the ten most common types of diet according to the characteristics known to protect against cardiovascular disease included in the guidelines of the US Association.

The heart-saving factors

Among the decisive elements for cardiovascular health indicated in the recommendations, for example, there are the limitation of the intake of saturated fats and the attention to the excess of carbohydrates, especially those simple from sweet foods; the authors of the document decided to evaluate the ten most common food profiles to measure how well they comply with the heart-saving indications, because as the coordinator, Christopher Gardner of the University of California at Stanford explains, In recent years increasingly different and popular diets have proliferated and on social media the amount of misinformation about these food patterns has reached critical levels. The public, and even some healthcare professionals, can rightfully be confused about what is best to reduce cardiovascular risk as well and often do not have the time or expertise to evaluate different diets in this respect: this document is therefore intended to be an aid to clinicians and citizens to enable them to understand which diets promote good cardiometabolic health.

Promoted the Mediterranean diet

At the top of the list of heart-friendly diets is the Mediterranean-style diet, in which ample space is given to vegetables, whole grains, legumes and seeds and nuts, using olive oil as a condiment and taking the animal proteins especially from fish and dairy products; equally positive for the heart is DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, created to help reduce blood pressure), which is similar to the Mediterranean one but allows larger quantities of low-fat dairy products, lean meats and poultry, vegetable oils other than of olive oil and also focuses on the reduction of salt and alcohol. He then promoted the vegetarian diet and the pescetarian diet, which allows the consumption of fish in addition to vegetables: All four of these diets, which can be adapted to different cultural contexts and habits or preferences, can be followed in the long term with positive effects for cardiometabolic health, notes Gardner.

In the middle ranks vegans

The vegan diet follows nutritional indications shared by the guidelines of the American Heart Association, however very restrictive and therefore difficult to follow, as well as involving risks of deficiencies; the document therefore places it in the middle of the table together with low-fat diets, because these often treat saturated and mono- and polyunsaturated fats in the same way, which instead are positive for the heart and blood vessels. The lowest in the rankings are very low-fat diets, which cut out ‘good’ foods such as nuts, seeds and vegetable oils and can cause deficiencies, and very low carbohydrate intake, which eliminate useful foods such as fruits, legumes and cereals often in favor of foods high in saturated fats from animal sources, also leading to a reduction in fiber intake which is considered bad for cardiovascular health.

The rejected ones: paleolithic and ketogenic diet

At the bottom of the list of heart-healthy diets are the Paleolithic diet, which excludes grains, legumes, oils and dairy products, and the ketogenic diet, which limits carbohydrate intake to less than 10 percent of daily calories. According to the experts, in both cases these are regimes that may make sense for losing weight in the short or very short term, but which in the long run are too restrictive, difficult to follow and above all do not bring real advantages compared to other less rigid diets. not even in terms of weight loss; moreover, they are types of diet that involve a greater consumption of saturated fats and a poor intake of fibers, both of which are risky elements for cardiovascular health. The one ‘right’ recommendation shared by all diets? Limit added sugars: everyone, really everyone agrees on this.