Background: Nutrition has a major influence after coronary events but long-term adherence to dietary advice is poorly evaluated.
Aim: To evaluate if a cardiovascular rehabilitation programme including dietary counselling has a positive impact on adherence to dietary recommendations.
Methods: Two groups of coronary patients were compared in an observational non-randomized study. Group I included 32 patients at the acute phase of a coronary syndrome and group II included 104 patients between six months and three years after completing a cardiovascular rehabilitation programme. The evaluation was performed with (1) a validated 14-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), which gives scores for the consumption of saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), Omega-6 and Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), fruits and vegetables, and a global cardiovascular protective dietary score; and (2) biological markers.
Results: SFA score was higher in group I vs II (7.4+/-2.8 vs 4.4+/-2.1, p<0.001) whereas Omega-3 PUFA (2.2+/-2.0 vs 4.7+/-2.1, p<0.001), fruit and vegetables score (3.3+/-1.4 vs 4.3+/-1.7, p=0.001) and global dietary score (-1.1+/-4.5 to 7.0+/-4.9, p<0.001) were higher in group II. The Omega-6:Omega-3 PUFA ratio was higher in group I (14.2+/-12.7 vs 6.3+/-5.4, p<0.001). Biological markers showed higher plasma contents of Omega-3 PUFA (4.05+/-1.70% vs 2.80+/-1.07%, p<0.001), folate (19.7+/-12.2 nmol/L vs 13.0+/-5.0 nmol/L, p<0.001) and vitamin C (7.60+/-3.99 mg/L vs 4.18+/-3.46 mg/L, p<0.001), and a higher erythrocyte membrane Omega-3 PUFA content (6.60+/-2.19% vs 5.38+/-2.17%, p=0.016) in group II vs I.
Conclusion: Using a short FFQ, this study showed sustained improvement in dietary habits in patients with coronary heart disease who receive nutritional education during a cardiovascular rehabilitation programme.