Study Finds Eating These 6 Foods Can Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
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A new study pinpoints six foods that may lower your risk of heart disease, and that are linked to better heart health.
People who followed the healthiest eating plans had a nearly 20% lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
The study also gave specific details about exactly how much of each food to eat in a week.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people in the U.S., making it a concern for many. With that, it’s understandable to want to do what you can to lower your risk of developing heart disease, including eating the right diet. Now, a new study has pinpointed six foods that may lower your risk of heart disease and lead to better heart health.
The study, which was published in the European Heart Journal reviewed data from 245,000 people who participated in the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study, looking at the foods they ate and their heart disease risk. The researchers found that people who had higher amounts of fruit, vegetables, nuts, legumes, fish, and whole-fat dairy in their diets had a lower risk of heart disease and death than those who didn’t focus on those foods.
During a median follow-up of 9.3 years, there were 15,707 deaths and 40,764 cardiovascular events in study participants. When compared with the least healthy diet, people who followed the healthiest diet had a 30% lower risk of death, 18% lower likelihood of cardiovascular disease, 14% lower risk of myocardial infarction, and 19% lower risk of stroke.
The researchers also broke down exactly how many servings a day was most beneficial for participants, giving some impressive takeaways for people. Here’s what the study found, along with why these foods are so helpful.
What did the study find?
At baseline, the study found that the following foods are best for heart health:
fruit
vegetables
nuts
legumes
fish
whole-fat dairy
But the researchers also found that a certain eating pattern and number of servings is best. Here’s a breakdown:
fruit: two to three servings a day
vegetables: two to three servings a day
whole-fat dairy: two servings a day
nuts: seven servings a week
legumes: three to four servings a week
fish: two to three servings a week
Why might these foods be helpful for heart health?
The recommended foods largely line up with what the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends for a healthy eating pattern. Those include:
a wide variety of fruits and vegetables
whole grains and products made up mostly of whole grains
healthy sources of protein, including legumes, nuts, fish, seafood, and low-fat or nonfat dairy
liquid non-tropical vegetable oils
minimally processed foods
minimized intake of added sugars
foods prepared with little or no salt
limited or no alcohol
“In general, less processed foods are more heart healthy,” says William Prabhu, M.D., associate director of the Cardiac Cath Lab at NewYork-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital. “When you look at the foods that are heart healthy, they are generally fresh and have as little preservatives as possible.”
Of course, the foods the researchers found to be heart-healthy aren’t shocking—“all of the foods listed have been known to be healthy for generations,” says Scott Keatley, R.D., co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. “But what this research shows is that the best bet for heart health is to consume all of these foods all of the time,” he says.
The foods themselves have a lot going for them in terms of heart health, says Jessica Cording, R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. A big aspect is that many of the foods—fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds—are high in fiber, she says. “When you’re looking at heart health, fiber helps with regulating cholesterol levels,” she says. “Soluble fiber, which is found in a lot of different foods, binds to cholesterol and escorts it out of the body, so to speak.”
Fiber helps support good digestion, she says, adding, “It’s the broom of the stomach.” It also can help keep you feeling full, which lowers the risk of mindless snacking, Cording says. That, in turn, lowers the risk of having overweight or obesity—both of which are linked to poor heart health.
Healthy fats found in things like nuts, seeds, oily fish, olive oil, and avocado oil have monounsaturated fatty acids, which can lower levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, Cording points out. “Many of these foods also have anti-inflammatory components,” she says.
“It’s really a variation of the Mediterranean diet,” says Nicole Weinberg, M.D., a cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. “We’re learning that you can get good fats from nuts and fish.”
The full-fat dairy recommendation is different, though—the AHA specifically recommends having low-fat or no-fat dairy. But Cording says she’s “really happy” to see full-fat dairy included. “I’ve been telling my patients and clients for years that they don’t have to be scared of whole-fat dairy,” she says. “Full-fat dairy tends to be more satiating—when you have that higher fat content, it slows digestion, which helps support stable blood sugar levels and helps you to stay full for longer.”
The full-fat dairy recommendation is a little controversial, though. “Low-fat dairy is typically recommended because it’s lower in saturated fat and the general recommendations for protecting heart health is to limit saturated fat,” Cording explains. “However, the research on dairy fat and heart health is very mixed.”
Dr. Weinberg gives the full-fat dairy recommendation the thumbs up, too. “I love that they heavily weighted whole milk products,” she says. “Many of my patients are nervous about whole milk and what is it going to do for their body, but it’s being more and more substantiated in the literature as being good for you.”
Keatley says the diet may also include full-fat dairy for balance. “The diet included in this study is very low in energy—calories—without the full-fat dairy,” he says. “With the large intake of fruit and vegetables, it becomes difficult to get in the amount of calories you need in a day.”
Dr. Prabhu just recommends being mindful of your portion sizes. “Whole-fat dairy products—while delicious—need to be consumed in reasonable quantities,” he says. “This can include cheese and milk. It is okay for these to be high in fat, as long as the serving size is reasonable.”
But Keatley says that the “biggest return” on this diet for heart health is the increase in potassium compared to a traditional Western diet. “Potassium is known to decrease blood pressure by allowing the kidneys to excrete sodium,” he points out.
How to eat a heart-healthy diet
Experts say it doesn’t have to be hard to eat well to support your heart health. “Keep it simple,” Keatley says. “Balance your meals and snacks with at least two times the amount of fruit and/or vegetables versus starch or protein.”
Cording also suggests focusing on putting “lots of vegetables on the plate, lots of whole foods, lean into oily fish, and limit red and processed meat.” The goal, Dr. Weinberg says, is to really focus on having “good, whole ingredients” in your diet.
“If you tolerate dairy, incorporating a little bit of high-quality, full-fat dairy can be a good thing,” Cording says. And, of course, if you’re concerned about coming up with a heart-healthy diet that works for you, it can be helpful to connect with your doctor or a registered dietitian for personalized guidance.
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