Six Key Food Groups that Are Healthy for Your Heart

Researchers investigated the impact of different food groups on cardiovascular health. They found that diets rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole-fat dairy, and fish were linked to lower cardiovascular risk. Further studies are needed to understand how much each component contributes to overall risk reduction. Unhealthy diets are a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). In particular, higher amounts of processed meats, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened beverages are known to increase cardiovascular risk. 

Concurrently, diets such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, Mediterranean and Healthy Eating Index (HEI) are linked to lower CVD risk. These diets all include increased consumption of: Fruit Vegetables Legumes Nuts Fish However, recent studies, have shown that some foods—such as whole-fat dairy—previously thought to increase CVD risk may have neutral or beneficial effects. However, many of these new findings have yet to be incorporated into dietary guidelines. 

The ‘PURE’ diet vs. Mediterranean, DASH diets 

First, the researchers analyzed data from 166,762 individuals ages 35–70 years in 21 low, middle, and high-income countries across five continents. They followed the participants for an average of 9.3 years. The researchers created a healthy diet score based on six food categories linked with lower mortality rates: fruit vegetables legumes nuts fish dairy They called the diet score the ‘PURE’ diet score after the study it was based upon. Altogether, the researchers noted that the average diet score was 2.95 and that healthier diet scores were more common in countries with higher per-capita gross national income. They also recorded a total of 8,201 major CVD events and 10,076 deaths during the follow-up period. Ultimately, participants with diet scores of 5 or 6 were significantly less likely than those with a diet score of 0 or 1 to experience cardiovascular complications. Altogether, they had a: 30% lower incidence of mortality 19% lower risk of stroke 18% lower risk of CVD 14% lower risk of heart attack 

The researchers found similar results after applying the PURE diet score to data from five other studies involving 96,955 participants in 70 countries. They added that the PURE diet score had a slightly stronger association with death or CVD than other common diet scores, including HEI, Mediterranean, and DASH diet scores. However, the PURE diet score was significantly more predictive of mortality and major CVD events than the Planetary diet score. The Planetary diet was developed as a way to balance a sustainable food system with a healthy diet. It is the most restrictive of the diets studied as it emphasizes plant-based food sources and limits red meat, poultry, and fish to 98 grams, 203 grams, and 196 grams per week.

What to eat for good heart health? 

Based on the PURE diet score, the researchers recommend eating daily: 5 servings of fruit and vegetables 0.5 serving of legumes one serving of nuts 0.3 servings of fish 2 servings of dairy 0.5 servings of red meat 0.3 servings of poultry They also recommended 3-4 weekly servings of legumes and 2-3 weekly servings of fish per week. 

How diet benefits heart health?

Diets high in fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, and whole grains may benefit cardiovascular health, since plant-source foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains, are nutrient-dense and have protective factors, known as phytochemicals. Phytochemicals help reduce oxidation and lower inflammation, which helps protect against chronic diseases, like CVD. 

We know that limiting processed foods—foods that have been marred by human production, foods that contain additives, chemicals and preservatives to keep them shelf stable—can cause a lot of inflammation in the body, particularly affecting the cardiovascular system. Avoiding these types of foods will go a long way to preserve cardiovascular health. 

Six heart healthy food groups in a nutshell:

Based on the PURE diet score, the researchers recommend eating daily:

• 5 servings of fruit and vegetables
• 0.5 serving of legumes
• 1 serving of nuts
• 0.3 servings of fish
• 2 servings of dairy
• 0.3 servings of poultry