Assessing the Impact of 4 Diet Programs on Cardiovascular Risk

Researchers assessed the impact of 4 diet programs—vegan, Mediterranean, Paleolithic, and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)—on cardiovascular risk. The results are being presented at the American College of Cardiology 73rd Annual Scientific Session & Expo.

In the Virginia Beach Diet study, 279 nondiabetic adults (ages 35-85 years) with 1 or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) were invited to participate in 1 of 4 diet arms. A total of 58 participants were included in the vegan arm, 80 in the Mediterranean arm, 76 in the Paleolithic arm, and 65 in the DASH arm. Study subjects were required to undergo a comprehensive nutrition education program prior to a 60-day diet intervention in which they kept a daily food log and met weekly with a study team. The population of interest also underwent an initial health screening to assess weight, blood pressure (BP), fasting glucose, A1C, lipids, and lipoprotein particles.

The results showed that following 60 days on their respective diets, subjects lost an average of 9 pounds (4.7% body weight; total, 2576 pounds), which was associated with improvements in BP across all groups. Individuals on the vegan and Paleolithic diets lost the most weight (approximately 6.5%) and showed the greatest improvement in lipid risk factors (11%-14% decrease in low-density lipoprotein particles; 10%-20% decrease in very-low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides).

“All 4 diets promoted weight loss and improved BP but had variable effects on lipid risk factors. Vegan and Paleo diets showed the greatest improvement in weight loss and lipid risk factors,” the researchers concluded. They added that “further studies are needed to determine the impact of these interventions on clinical outcomes.”