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Highlights
Soy
A rigorous review found that soy protein and isoflavone supplements do not help lower cholesterol or heart disease risk. However, soy foods are healthy choices, and the American Heart Association still recommends including them as part of a heart healthy diet. Skip the supplement pills.
Fish Oil Supplements
- Combining daily supplements of eicosapentaneoic acid (EPA), a type of fish oil, with statin medication may help prevent heart attack, angina, and coronary artery disease.
- Patients with implanted heart defibrillators should not take fish oil supplements because they could make heart rhythm problems worse.
Vitamin E
- The long-term Women’s Health Study reported that vitamin E supplements do not prevent heart attack or stroke.
- Vitamin E pills may increase the risk for heart failure, especially for patients with diabetes or vascular diseases.
Low-Carbohydrate Diets
Low-carb diets may help keep weight off for up to a year, but they appear to have mixed effects on cholesterol and lipid levels. On the positive side, they lower triglycerides and raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol. On the negative side, they raise overall and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. Experts do not currently recommend low-carb diets for heart disease prevention.
Low-Fat Diets
Low-fat diets do not help prevent heart disease or stroke according to an important Women’s Health Initiative study. But some experts note that the study did not distinguish between good and bad types of fat.
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet
The DASH diet is excellent for reducing blood pressure and has other heart healthy benefits. New research suggests that replacing some of the carbohydrates in the diet with protein or monounsaturated fat may help even more.
Calorie Restriction
Eating a low-calorie, but nutritionally balanced diet can help prevent age-associated heart disease. Patients in this study ate 1,400 – 2,000 calories a day.
