Risk Of Sudden Cardiac Death May Be Affected By Diet

Risk Of Sudden Cardiac Death May Be Affected By Diet

Diet is proven to affect the health of the heart. Experts advise a sodium-low and saturated fat diet to decrease the risk of heart disease. There are also plenty of vegetables, fruit, and whole grain in a cardiac-healthy diet. Research has shown that Mediterranean dieting—full of fruits, vegetables, fish, grains and legumes, low meat and milk—is likely to decrease the risk of heart disease.

The research investigated the connection between the overall diet and sudden cardiac death in the United States, a frequent cause of mortality. In sudden heart death, the heart suddenly stops beating and dies within one hour. Small studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet may reduce the incidence of sudden heart mortality.

A study headed by Dr. James M. Shikany from Birmingham University of Alabama investigated whether food habits were linked to the risk of sudden heart mortality. The research was sponsored by NIH’s National NINDS Institute, National Institute of Aging and National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and the NINDS National Institute on Aging (NHLBI). Results have been published in the American Heart Association Journal on 6 July 2021.

At the beginning of the trial, the researchers examined the diets of 21,000 participants using a dietary questionnaire. Participants were asked how frequently they ate 110 items last year and in what amounts. Both have a history of and without coronary heart disease. Participants were included in the long-lasting research REGARDS (Reasons for Stroke Geographical and Racial Differences).

Researchers computed the Mediterranean diet score based on the questionnaire answers. Five eating trends were also found. One, called the “southern” dietary pattern, includes significant quantities of additional fats, fried foods, eggs, organ and processed meats, and sugar-sweetened drinks. Other dietary patterns include a pattern of ‘sweets’ with high added sugar, a pattern of ‘convenience’ primarily made of ready-to-eat food and consumption, a pattern of ‘plant based’, and an ‘alcohol and salad’ pattern.

The researchers evaluated how closely individuals followed each eating plan. For example, someone may follow strictly the Mediterranean diet while sticking, although to a lesser degree, to the sweet pattern. They also documented occurrences linked to the heart throughout 10 years on average.

During the research, almost 400 sudden cardiac fatalities occurred. Analyzes have shown that the Southern diet may raise the risk of sudden cardiac death, whereas the Mediterranean diet can decrease the risk.

Southern participants had a 46% greater risk of sudden heart mortality than those with the lowest adherence. By contrast, the risk of sudden heart mortality was 26% lower for those strictly following the Mediterranean diet than for those with the least adherence. These differences have a limited statistical significance (not enough to demonstrate that they were not attributable to chance or another cause). Among individuals without coronary heart disease at the beginning of the research, followers of the diet in the Mediterranean were statistically significant at 41 percent, compared to those with least adherence, in their risk of sudden cardiac death.

“Thanks to the observational aspect of our research, the findings indicate that food may be a modified risk factor for sudden cardiac death,” adds Shikany.

These results corroborate previous studies which may have substantial heart health effects by changing your diet.ea83724a5136a05bfe5f3b14653fa0f7

Sourcenih.gov

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