Women who are filling their plates with foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains rather than red meat, French fries, and sweet desserts may benefit from making these healthful choices. According to research published in a recent Archives of Internal Medicine women following a so-called «prudent» diet pattern, that is a diet emphasizing fruits, vegetables, legumes (pulses), fish, poultry, and whole grains, may have a lower risk of developing heart disease than women consuming a traditional 'Western' diet.

A closer look at diet

Researchers used information from more than 69,000 participants of the Nurses' Health Study, an on-going long-term study involving female nurses in the United States. None of the women had a history of heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, or stroke at the beginning of the study period.

The investigators analyzed food intake questionnaires completed by the women and identified two major dietary patterns. They labeled these the 'prudent' diet pattern (described above), and the 'Western' diet pattern, characterized by higher intakes of red and processed meats, high-fat dairy products, refined grains, French fries, sweets and desserts.

'Prudent' pattern nets results

The women were followed for 12 years, during which time their incidence of heart disease was noted. The researchers accounted for a number of other factors, such as body weight, smoking and physical activity levels, that could also affect the risk of heart disease; they then looked at the relationship between how the women ate and how much heart disease they experienced. Women with the more prudent diet were about 25% less likely to develop heart disease than those who consumed a Western diet.

This study focused on women. In a sense, however, it is a companion to an earlier study examining the same 'prudent' and 'Western' diet patterns on heart disease risk in men that also yielded promising results.

Making prudent choices

These researchers looked at diet as whole, rather than focusing on individual nutrients. While this approach doesn't identify specific factors that may contribute to healthier hearts, it does provide a clear view of the big picture. And that picture is a familiar one. Once again diets rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, fish, and poultry have emerged as beneficial.

What does this translate into for consumers? Simple steps like eating an extra serving of vegetables at lunch or dinner, replacing sweet desserts and snacks with fruit most of the time, broiling fish or chicken instead of steak or hamburgers, and opting for whole wheat bread and whole grain cereals can create a healthful dietary pattern.

Heart disease is a major killer in the United States and Europe. While even the most healthful diet cannot make up for habits - such as smoking or a lack of exercise - that increase heart disease risk, this study underscores the point that diet does make a difference.