05/30/01 Government’s New Heart Disease Guidelines

Government’s New Heart Disease Guidelines

Dietetics Professionals Are Americans’ Top Resource for Help, Says American Dietetic Association

May 30, 2001

Dietetics professionals are ideally qualified to help Americans meet new heart disease prevention and treatment guidelines issued May 15 by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, according to the American Dietetic Association, the nation’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.

Among other recommendations, the new guidelines encourage increased emphasis on nutrition, physical activity and weight control in the treatment of elevated blood cholesterol.

"ADA and its members are uniquely trained and qualified to help Americans make the long-term dietary and lifestyle changes that can lower cholesterol, reduce risk of heart disease and achieve and maintain good health," said ADA President Jane V. White, a Knoxville, Tenn., registered dietitian.

The guidelines’ recommended "Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes" offer a plan for cholesterol management that encourages changes in American eating habits. The "TLC" plan includes daily intakes of less than 7 percent of calories from saturated fat and less than 200 milligrams daily of dietary cholesterol. The guidelines suggest 25 to 35 percent of daily calories come from total fat, as long as most is from monounsaturated fat, which does not raise serum cholesterol levels.

"The dietary modifications that are called for in these guidelines, such as increased intakes of soluble fiber, can be met with planning and with the help of a dietetics professional," White said. Foods high in soluble fiber include cereal grains, beans, peas, legumes and many fruits and vegetables.

The new guidelines also estimate that the number of Americans receiving dietary treatment for high cholesterol would increase to 65 million from the current 52 million, and that the number of people taking prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs would increase to 36 million, up from 13 million.

"We are pleased that the guidelines specifically emphasize the importance of medical nutrition therapy - the comprehensive services of a dietetics professional - in facilitating the behavior changes that people will need to make in order to accomplish the recommended diet and lifestyle changes," White said. The guidelines encourage evaluation of patients to see if a diet- and lifestyle-based approach to clinical treatment will be effective prior to - or in conjunction with - cholesterol-lowering drugs.

"Numerous independent research studies, including one by the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine, conclusively show that medical nutrition therapy is effective in the management and treatment of hypertension, heart failure, diabetes, kidney failure and such conditions as high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides," White said.

In December 2000, Congress passed and former President Clinton signed a bill that will provide Medicare benefits for patients receiving medical nutrition therapy for renal disease and diabetes.

"In addition, ADA and its members actively collaborate with individual health providers, other professional organizations and government agencies like NHLBI to provide cost-effective solutions to nutrition-related problems," White said. "We encourage patients to seek referrals to registered dietitians from their physicians."

The 70,000-member, Chicago-based American Dietetic Association serves the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being. For more information, including how consumers can locate a registered dietitian in their communities, click here.