Reportedly, nearly half of all American adults face cardiovascular diseaseaccording to the American Heart Association. In addition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Given these grim statistics, being proactive about your heart health can literally be a matter of life and death.
Whether you’ve been diagnosed with a cardiovascular condition or just have general concerns about maintaining your heart health, there are scientifically proven steps you can take to help you live longer, including being more mindful of what you eat. Recent research suggests that including more plant-based foods in your diet, particularly those rich in omega-3 fatty acids, may hold the key to increasing longevity for people with cardiovascular problems.
In an analysis published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Aleix Sala-Vila, Ph.D., from the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute in Barcelona, and colleagues analyzed data that had been collected from 905 people who had an average age of 67 years. All were patients with heart failure whose cardiovascular problems were due to various causes. The study leaders also noted the patients’ levels of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is a omega-3 fatty acid which can be found in vegetarian food.
Patients were followed up a median of 2.4 years later. In that time, 140 patients had died from all causes, while 85 died due to cardiovascular-related deaths. When the researchers compared patients with the highest and lowest levels of ALA, they found that those with the highest levels had a lower risk of a first hospitalization due to heart failure, cardiovascular death, and death from all causes.
“[I]Inclusion of some foods rich in ALA, such as walnutsin the diet of any individual, with or without HF, could result in [cardiovascular] benefits, in addition to the putative effect on [heart failure]Sala-Vila said, according to Medscape.
“Any of us can improve their diet at any time, and [doing so] will result in healthy ageing,” says Sala-Vila allegedly told TCTMD.
“While this study is observational, it is another study in the growing body of research pointing to a positive relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and disease prevention or control.” Blair Persyn, MS, RDN, LDN, CNSCa registered dietitian and owner of Bite with Blair, LLCHe says Eat this, not that!
“ALA and omega-3 fatty acids may help prevent and control heart disease through their effect on inflammation,” says Persyn. “We know there is a inflammatory component of heart disease and other chronic diseases.
“Nuts and seeds like walnuts, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and flaxseeds contain not only plant-based omega-3 fatty acids, but also antioxidants, which help fight inflammation,” Persyn adds.
As for getting more ALA into your system, Persyn states that “adding more nuts and seeds to our diets can be as easy as sprinkling them on oatmeal, topping them on salads, blending them into smoothies, or using them as nut butter in sandwiches.”
Desiree O
Desirée O is a freelance writer who covers lifestyle, food and nutrition news, among other topics. Read more about Desiree
