Some Diets Better for Heart Than Others

There are a lot of different ways to lose weight, but some of them are better for your heart than others, according to new research from the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS).

Researchers were also surprised to discover that several popular weight-loss plans were better for heart health than the federal government's latest healthy eating recommendations.

Assistant professor Yunsheng Ma and fellow researchers examined several popular weight-loss programs to see how well they also reduced a person's risk of cardiovascular disease. They created their rankings by using the Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), a system that identifies foods most strongly linked to heart health. The index takes into account such dietary factors as ratio of white meat to red meat, ratio of polyunsaturated fat to saturated fat, and quantities of fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, cereal fiber and trans fats.

"Obviously, obesity is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease," Ma said. "Optimal weight-loss plans should facilitate both weight loss and chronic disease prevention, specifically cardiovascular risk reduction."

The weight-loss plans studied included the New Glucose Revolution, Weight Watchers High Carbohydrate, Weight Watchers High Protein, Atkins 100-Gram Carbohydrate, Atkins 45-Gram Carbohydrate, South Beach Phase 2, South Beach Phase 3, The Zone and Ornish. The researchers also examined the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 2005 Food Guide Pyramid plans, because that is the government's current recommended guide for healthy eating.

With an AHEI maximum score of 70, the plans faring best for heart health were Ornish (64.6), Weight Watchers High Carbohydrate (57.4) and New Glucose Revolution, Ma and his team found. Other programs scored as follows: South Beach Phase2 (50.7), The Zone (49.8), the USDA guidelines (48.7), Weight Watchers High Protein (47.3), Atkins 100-Gram Carbohydrate (46), South Beach Phase 3 (45.6) and Atkins 45-Gram Carbohydrate (42.3).

"The highest performing plans -- Ornish, Weight Watchers High Carb and the New Glucose Revolution -- fared well due to an emphasis on fruits and vegetables, higher whole grain composition and lower trans fats," said Barbara Olendzki, an instructor in medicine, a registered dietitian and a co-author of the study.

"One of the unexpected findings is that the 2005 USDA Food Guide Pyramid, the current government recommendation, fared significantly worse than the New Glucose Revolution, Weight Watchers High Carbohydrate and Ornish plans," Ma said. "The USDA dietary guidelines were originally devised to prevent nutrient deficiencies and it's clear that we need to modify or rebuild the pyramid to look into cardiovascular disease prevention, as it is the leading cause of death and disability for Americans. Americans deserve a better dietary guideline and recommendation."

University of Massachusetts Medical School, "UMass Medical School Study Identified the Best Weight-Loss Plans for Heart Health." URL: (http://www.umassmed.edu/Content.aspx?id=42724)