Coronary Heart Disease: Control of Major CHD Risk Factors

Several diet-related conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, and elevated blood cholesterol, increase the risk for heart disease.

• Preventing excess weight gain can lower the risk for coronary artery disease. Numerous studies have shown that obesity is a predictor of heart attacks. In particular, abdominal fat is strongly associated with the severity of atherosclerosis.
  
• Controlling blood pressure reduces the risk for coronary artery disease. Reducing blood pressure to optimal levels can prevent nearly 40 percent of heart attacks events in men and more than 50 percent in women.
• Controlling blood sugar levels reduces the risk for coronary artery disease. Chronically elevated blood sugar increases risk for coronary disease, even in persons without diabetes. Among those with diabetes, improved control of blood sugar has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Regular exercise lowers the risk for developing atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Regular exercise reduces death due to heart disease, particularly if the activity is sufficiently intense. Current recommendations suggest a minimum of 30 minutes of moderately vigorous physical activity every day.

Survival and Prognosis After Coronary Events

A low-fat vegetarian diet reduces the risk for repeated heart attacks.

In a 12-year study of patients who had already experienced heart attacks, those who followed a low-fat (< 10 percent of calories) vegetarian diet had an absence of repeated heart attacks. Diet interventions that have also included exercise, stress reduction, and smoking cessation appear to cause reversal of atherosclerosis.