What is it about?
Heart failure is a chronic disease that carries a high mortality rate. Current recommendations do not recognize the importance of nutrition in the management of the patient with heart failure. This review presents evidence that suggests nutrition is just as important as medication in people with heart failure.
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Why is it important?
The importance of dietary modification in heart failure is not currently recognized. A paucity of randomized controlled trials partly contributes to this, but animal and observational studies highlight that more research is required into the role of diet therapy in heart failure. The review presents evidence that manipulating the diet can improve quality of life and cardiac function, in addition to suggesting areas for future development.
Perspectives
This timely review captures a growing trend in current research, namely the reemergence of nutrition as a potential treatment to disease. For many years Heart Failure guidelines have recommended salt and fluid restriction, in addition to generic advice on eating healthily. This article seeks to challenge this recommendation and presents data suggesting diet is an important factor to consider in the treatment of Heart Failure.
Dr Thomas J Butler
University of Chester
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Dietary management of heart failure: room for improvement?, British Journal Of Nutrition, February 2016, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/s000711451500553x.
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