EMERGING EVIDENCE THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE

ESC, 2021

European Society of Cardiology

Lifestyle modification1

A healthy diet

is a cornerstone of CVD prevention

  1. Adopting a Mediterranean or similar diet.
  2. Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats.
  3. Reducing salt intake can lower blood pressure and CVD risk.
01

Body weight

  1. Overweight and obese individuals should lose weight to improve BP, dyslipidemia, type 2 DM risk, and overall CVD risk.
  2. Maintain a heart-healthy diet long-term.
02

Mental healthcare

and psychosocial interventions

  1. Patients with mental disorders need support to improve adherence to lifestyle changes and treatments.
03

Smoking intervention

  1. Stop all tobacco use to reduce ASCVD risk.
  2. Quit smoking even if weight gain occurs; the benefits outweigh the risks.
04

CVD: cardiovascular disease; DM: diabetes mellitus; ASCVD: atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Reference

  1. Visseren FL, Mach F, Smulders YM, et al. 2021 ESC Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice: Developed by the Task Force for cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice with representatives of the European Society of Cardiology and 12 medical societies With the special contribution of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology (EAPC). European Heart Journal. 2021 Sep 7;42(34):3227-337.