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Switch To This Diet If You Are A Heart Patient Who Wants To Lose Weight

Switch To This Diet If You Are A Heart Patient Who Wants To Lose Weight

Heart patients who are overweight or obese can be at risk of suffering another attack or heart problem. As per a new study, switching to THIS diet could help manage the outcome.

Written by Arushi Bidhuri |Updated : May 26, 2022 11:45 AM IST

Weight loss is strongly advised in overweight and obese individuals with coronary heart disease to improve blood pressure and lipid levels, as well as to reduce the chance of type 2 diabetes and hence the risk of another heart attack. A study published in the journal of the European Society of Cardiology found that over 10,000 individuals indicated that only about 20 per cent had a healthy BMI when they were admitted to the hospital for a heart attack.

86 per cent of patients who were obese during hospitalization remained obese 16 months afterwards, and 14 per cent of overweight patients had become obese. Obesity was particularly prevalent among young women, with over half of those under 55 years old being fat.

How To Manage A Healthy Weight If You Are A Heart Patient?

Diet plays an important role for a patient with heart problems. And it is even more crucial for heart patients who are overweight or obese. Another study by the European Society of Cardiology found that eating low glycemic index foods promotes a healthy body in patients with coronary heart disease. But how does it help?

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The glycemic index (GI) assigns a score to carbohydrate-rich foods based on how quickly they raise blood sugar levels. Foods with a high GI produce a quick rise in blood sugar. Whereas low GI foods, such as apples, oranges, broccoli, and leafy greens, pulses like chickpeas, lentils, and kidney beans, and whole grains like brown rice and oats, digest slowly and increase your blood sugar levels as per the study. Also, several other studies have shown that high Gi diets can raise the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and more.

The Study

For the study, researchers randomly allocated 160 patients between the ages of 38-76 to either eat a low GI diet or a routine diet for three months. Both groups continued to receive normal coronary artery disease treatments. Patients in the low GI group were told to eat low GI foods and avoid high GI items while maintaining their protein and fat intake. The routine diet group was told to follow the coronary artery disease diet, which restricts fat and certain proteins such as whole milk, cheese, meat, egg yolks, and fried meals.

The researchers found that all body measurements in both groups had decreased by three months compared to baseline, however, the effects were only significant in the low GI group. The low GI diet resulted in significant decreases in BMI and waist circumference when the researchers evaluated changes between groups from baseline to study conclusion. The low GI group's BMI dropped by 4.2 kg/m2 compared to 1.4 kg/m2 in the regular diet group. In the low GI group, waist circumference was reduced by 9 cm compared to 3.3 cm in the regular diet group. Hip circumference and waist-to-hip ratio did not differ significantly across groups.

(With inputs from agencies)