Research
Commentary
Diet, Heart Disease, and the Role of the Registered Dietitian

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2006.11.039Get rights and content

Section snippets

American Heart Association’s Interest in Diet and Heart Health

Depicted in Figure 1 are the diet and lifestyle recommendations for cardiovascular disease risk reduction developed by AHA (8). The aim of the recommendations is to decrease CVD risk through improvements in diet and lifestyle. They are formulated to support the AHA goals for CVD prevention: consume an overall healthful diet; aim for a healthful body weight; aim for recommended levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides; aim for a

The 2006 AHA Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations: What RDs Need to Know

The AHA Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations were revised to reflect the most recent scientific information and are intentionally presented to allow maximal flexibility in their implementation. They are compatible with the nutrition needs of individuals from age 2 years through the entire life cycle. More specific recommendations focused on children were published separately (11). The 2006 AHA recommendations are flexible enough to adapt to the wide range of dietary preferences represented by the

What Is New About the 2006 Compared to the 2000 AHA Recommendations?

An important new feature is the word lifestyle added to the title of the document. This was done to emphasize that although diet is the main focus of CVD prevention, regular physical activity, and avoidance of exposure to tobacco products are likewise integral parts of nonpharmacologic CVD prevention. Also, for the first time, a list of practical tips on how to implement the recommendations is incorporated into the document. Additional emphasis is placed on the concept that diet and lifestyle

Challenges Facing RDs in Achieving These Goals

Making the necessary changes is not about picking and choosing among the current popular fad diets or lifestyle recommendations that are hot in the lay press. Rather, individuals need help in accepting that there are many pieces involved in diet and lifestyle change and they all fit together to complete the picture. There is no one magic bullet or secret that will result in dramatic CVD risk reduction, regardless of what the claims are. RDs can help clarify and identify the best approaches

RDs Can Apply Their Own Best Approaches

There are no easy answers on how to help people alter their diet and lifestyle to decrease their risk of developing CVD. Included in the AHA Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations are high-priority recommendations for practitioners (eg, RDs, physicians, and other health care providers), restaurants, food industry, schools, and local governments in regard to systemic changes that would create an environment that would support individual efforts to adopt healthful behaviors (Figure 2). Consistent

A. Lichtenstein is Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA.

First page preview

First page preview
Click to open first page preview

References (11)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

A. Lichtenstein is Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy, director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA.

View full text