A new study finds that the portfolio diet is linked to a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.
If you want to follow a heart-healthy diet, a specific eating pattern can help.
Whether you’re looking to lower your cholesterol, reduce your risk of stroke, or eat more plant-based, new research published last month by the American Heart Association shows a link between the lesser-known portfolio diet and a reduced risk of heart attack. disease and paralysis.
The goal behind the portfolio diet is to lower LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
To do this, the eating pattern focuses on four main groups that have been shown to lower cholesterol: soluble fiber, soy protein, plant sterols and nuts.
Because of these focuses, the diet encourages certain swaps, such as soy milk instead of dairy and avocados and vegetable oils as butter alternatives.
In addition to replacing certain foods with ones more likely to lower cholesterol, the portfolio diet also emphasizes the importance of soluble fiber. Foods such as oats, barley, lentils, beans, broccoli, eggplant and psyllium are recommended because they bind cholesterol in the blood and help it to be removed.
Many of these foods are also found in other existing heart-healthy diets, but according to Andrea Glenn, PhD, RD, one of the authors of the new study and a postdoctoral research fellow at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, “for this particular study, the portfolio diet was “We were interested in investigating whether the combination of these foods also translated into a lower risk of heart disease.”
Here’s what you need to know about the practical results of the portfolio diet, as well as tips for following an eating pattern.
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To understand how the diet affects heart health, the research team followed three different large-scale studies and evaluated participants’ food frequency questionnaires at baseline and every four years.
The authors created a Portfolio Diet Score (PDS) that ranks plant protein, nuts and seeds, sources of viscous fiber, plant sterols, and sources of monounsaturated fat. After looking at dietary data followed over 30 years in more than 200,000 people, they found that those with higher PDS scores had a 14% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke.
Glenn explained that the original trials showed that LDL cholesterol could be reduced by almost 30%.
“We also found that individuals in the current study did not eat as much of a portfolio diet as in the trials,” he said, “underscoring that even partial adoption of the dietary pattern can provide cardiovascular benefits.”
Previous research has also compared the portfolio diet with statin (cholesterol-lowering drug) use.
Although the diet resulted in clinically meaningful reductions in LDL cholesterol, the 28.6% reduction in LDL cholesterol was close to the 30.9 to 20 mg reduction achieved with lovastatin.
As a result, the reductions seen through diet are minimal to what can be achieved with medication alone.
“The research is in no way comparable to statin use,” said Gregory Katz, MD, a cardiologist at NYU Langone. Health.
He explained that the research did not evaluate the effectiveness of the portfolio diet in reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke. Making dietary changes consistent with a portfolio diet may help reduce disease risk, but Katz does not recommend it over statins.
The study also wasn’t clear about how many participants were using statins, said Jay Chudow, a cardiologist at Montefiore Medical Center. Health.
“It is important to note that statins are not recommended for everyone for primary prevention purposes, but are recommended for those at higher risk associated with high cholesterol, diabetes, or other conditions,” Chudow said.
It’s no surprise that switching to a plant-based diet contributes to lowering cholesterol levels, but more research is needed before the portfolio diet can be more widely recommended for heart health.
The portfolio diet is less well-known than the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, but there is significant overlap.
All of the diets focus on consuming whole grains, fruits, vegetables, plant protein, nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. They also emphasize that the amount of saturated fat obtained from red meat and dairy products is reduced.
“The main difference between dietary patterns and the portfolio diet is that the portfolio diet emphasizes plant protein, especially soy, as well as sources of viscous fiber and phytosterols,” Glenn said.
Since all of these diets have been shown to have a positive impact on heart disease risk, individuals can choose which elements to include based on their preferences, lifestyle, and values.
The best way to implement the portfolio diet in your life is to start with small, achievable swaps.
Try breaking it down, choosing one of the four parts of the portfolio diet to focus on each time.
For example, start by substituting soy-based protein for meat at one meal per week. Or add a source of viscous fiber to your daily diet, such as oatmeal for breakfast or roasted broccoli for dinner.
Since the portfolio diet is not the only heart-healthy eating pattern available, your diet may look like a combination of the portfolio diet, Mediterranean, and DASH diets, based on what suits your lifestyle and individual nutritional needs.
The good news is that every step towards heart-healthy choices is a good step.
Chudow advises patients to choose a healthy diet that’s easy for them and make it part of their routine, whether it’s the portfolio, Mediterranean, or DASH diet.
“I discuss with my patients ways to increase healthy food choices by including fruits, vegetables and whole grains,” she said.
It is best to consult a registered dietitian for personalized guidance and recommendations regarding your nutritional needs.