Cardiology>>>>>Cardiac Rehabilitation
Question 2#

One of your patients is about to be discharged following an NSTEMI. They ask you for some dietary advice to help to try and reduce their risk of having a further heart attack. 

What advice should you give?

A. To eat a Mediterranean-style diet with less meat and more bread, fruit, vegetables, and fish, and to replace butter and cheese with products based on vegetable and plant oils
B. To read food labels when shopping to ensure that they reduce the amount of mono-unsaturated fats in their diet and eat more foods containing saturated fats
C. To eat at least 1 g of omega-3 fatty acids, which are contained in oily fish, every week
D. To take supplements containing beta-carotene, antioxidant supplements, (vitamin E and/ or C), or folic acid to reduce cardiovascular risk
E. All of the above

Correct Answer is A

Comment:

Patients should be encouraged to eat a Mediterranean-style diet (more bread, fruit, vegetables, and fish; less meat; replace butter and cheese with products based on vegetable and plant oils). A healthy diet should include five portions of fruit and vegetables per day and patients should reduce the intake of salt and saturated fats. Post-MI patients should eat at least 7 g of omega-3 fatty acids per week (two to four portions of oily fish), and if they are not achieving this you should consider providing at least 1 g of omega-3-acid ethyl esters daily (as per the current NICE guidance, although this may be reviewed with the results of the Alpha Omega trial that shows a less clear benefit from omega-3 fatty acids). Patients should be advised not to take supplements containing beta-carotene, antioxidant supplements (vitamin E and/or C), or folic acid to reduce cardiovascular risk.