Heart recommendations emphasize calories, exercise

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The American Heart Association on Monday released new lifestyle recommendations that urge Americans to cut calories and artery-clogging fats, and to replace “screen time” with exercise.

The advice differs from the AHA’s previous recommendations, issued in 2000, in several ways. The group now urges Americans to cut their intake of cholesterol-raising saturated fat and trans fats even further, but eschews the old advice to limit total fat intake to less than 30 percent of daily calories as a way to lose weight.

Instead, the new recommendations emphasize the importance of eating nutritious foods and balancing calories taken in with calories burned.

To reach that goal, the AHA says, adults and children need to eat more lower-calorie, nutrient-rich foods—including fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, low-fat dairy and fish. They also need to spend less time in front of the TV or computer to make room for at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.

Recognizing that weight-loss diets so often fail in the long run, the group is urging people to follow a healthy diet and lifestyle that at least prevents further weight gain.

Quitting or never starting to smoke is also vital to heart health, the AHA says, while certain dietary supplements—namely, fish oil and plant sterols—may be helpful for people with elevated cholesterol or triglycerides.

“The key message of the recommendations is to focus on long-term, permanent changes in how we eat and live,” Dr. Alice H. Lichtenstein, chair of the AHA nutrition committee that wrote the new guidance, said in a statement.

The recommendations, published online by the AHA journal Circulation, now call on Americans to get less than 7 percent of their calories from saturated fat, down from the previous 10 percent recommendation. And for the first time, there’s a specific cap on trans fat intake—less than 1 percent.

Both saturated and trans fats can raise levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, and thereby contribute to heart disease. Saturated fat comes mainly from animal products, and the AHA urges Americans to choose lean cuts of meat or opt for fish or vegetarian meat substitutes.

Trans fats are found in many commercially baked and fried foods, including crackers, cookies, pastries, French fries and breads.

Gone from the AHA recommendations, however, is the advice to limit total fat intake as a way to lose weight. Instead, the group advises people to cut calories by limiting their portion sizes and choosing lower-calorie foods like fruits, vegetables and fiber-rich grains.

Given the potential heart benefits of fish oils, the AHA also says people should strive for at least two weekly servings of fatty fish, such as salmon and tuna.

The group also calls on food manufacturers and restaurants to cut down on sugar, salt and portion sizes, and on local governments to encourage exercise by providing more sidewalks, parks and other safe areas for people to walk and bike.

SOURCE: Circulation, online June 19, 2006.

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