Promotion of healthy nutrition in primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prevention: A Clinical Consensus Statement from the European Association of Preventive Cardiology

Background: Poor dietary habits are common and lead to significant morbidity and mortality. However, addressing and improving nutrition in various cardiovascular settings remains sub-optimal. This paper discusses practical approaches to how nutritional counselling and promotion could be undertaken in primary care, cardiac rehabilitation, sports medicine, paediatric cardiology and public health.

Discussion: Nutrition assessment in primary care could improve dietary patterns and use of e-technology is likely to revolutionise this. However, despite technological improvements, the use of smartphone apps to assist with healthier nutrition remains to be thoroughly evaluated. Cardiac rehabilitation programmes should provide individual nutritional plans adapted to the clinical characteristics of the patients and include their families in the dietary management. Nutrition for athletes depends on the sport and the individual and preference should be given to healthy foods, rather than nutritional supplements. Nutritional counselling is also very important in the management of children with familial hypercholesterolaemia and congenital heart disease. Finally, policies taxing unhealthy foods and promoting healthy eating at the population or workplace level could be effective for prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Within each setting, gaps in knowledge are provided.

Conclusion: This Clinical Consensus Statement contextualises the clinician’s role in nutrition management in primary care, cardiac rehabilitation, sports medicine and public health, providing practical examples of how this could be achieved.