Dietary advice for reducing cardiovascular risk.

Study answer

What this study found

Dietary advice produced modest improvements in dietary intake and cardiovascular risk factors. After 3–24 months, total cholesterol decreased by 0.16 mmol/L and LDL cholesterol by 0.18 mmol/L; HDL cholesterol and triglycerides largely unchanged. Systolic blood pressure fell by 2.07 mmHg and diastolic by 1.15 mmHg; 24-hour urinary sodium excretion fell by 44.18 mmol. Fruit and vegetable intake increased by 1.25 servings/day; fibre intake increased by 5.99 g/day; total dietary fat fell by 4.49% of energy; saturated fat fell by 2.36%. Plasma α-carotene and β-cryptoxanthin rose in some trials,…

Study & population

Randomised controlled trials (parallel-group; including cluster randomised designs) enrolling healthy community-dwelling adults aged 18 years or older; less than 25% with diagnosed cardiovascular disease at recruitment; follow-up from 3 months to 4 years (median ~10 months); interventions delivered in healthcare, workplace, or community settings.

Intervention

Dietary advice to reduce salt and fat intake and increase fruit, vegetables and fibre; delivered via verbal or written guidance to individuals or small groups; formats included one-to-one sessions, group sessions, posters, leaflets or other educational materials.

Key limitation

Limitations include reliance on self-reported dietary intake with potential bias, substantial heterogeneity across trials, and variable methodological quality; dropout and incomplete reporting were common; many studies were conducted in the USA, limiting generalizability; long-term effects on cardiovascular disease…

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Original abstract