Table III.

Diet Patterns Recommended for Primary and Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease

Diet pattern	Nutritional Recommendations	Strength of Evidence	Level of Evidence
DASH diet	Recommended to prevent hypertension and lower blood pressure. The diet emphasizes sodium restriction, reduction of fat intake and alcohol avoidance.	I	A
Mediterranean diet	A Mediterranean diet has been shown to improve quality and life expectancy in patients with cardiovascular disease, as well as those who have Type II diabetes or are overweight. Mediterranean diets have been found to be preferable to a low-fat diet in increasing HDL- C blood levels, reducing TG levels, and improving insulin sensitivity.	IIa IIa	A A
Low-fat diet	A Low-fat diet has been shown to improve quality and life expectancy in people with cardiovascular disease, as well as in states of obesity and Type II diabetes.	IIa	A
Low-carbohydrate diet	A Low-carbohydrate diet is effective at reducing TG levels and increasing HDL-C blood levels, especially when compared to a low-fat diet. Low-carbohydrate diets, which include 30%– 40% of calories from carbohydrates and are low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat, were found to be safe in healthy and overweight individuals at follow- up up to 4 years.	IIb IIa	A A
Ornish Spectrum® Diet	Emphasizes comprehensive lifestyle management, including diet (low fat, whole foods, plant-based), exercise, stress management, and social support for reversal of coronary heart disease and minimizing risk for those with cardiovascular disease risk factors	No specific recommendation from national guidelines
Weil Anti-inflammatory diet	http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART02012/anti-inflammatory-diet Daily caloric intake should be between 2000- 3000. The distribution of calories you take in should be as follows: 40-50% from carbohydrates, 30% from fat, and 20-30% from protein. Individuals encouraged to consume carbohydrates, fat, and protein with each meal. Specific recommendations on sources for carbs, protein, saturated fats, vitamins/minerals, and supplements	No specific recommendation from national guidelines

Strength of statement/recommendation: Class I - Evidence and/or general agreement that a given statement and/or recommendation is beneficial; Class II - Conflicting evidence and/or a divergence of opinion about the usefulness/efficacy of the statement and/or recommendation; Class IIa - Weight of evidence/opinion is in favor of usefulness/efficacy; Class IIb - Usefulness/efficacy is less well established by evidence/opinion; Class III - Evidence or general agreement that the treatment is not useful/effective and, in some cases, may be harmful

Levels of evidence: A - Data derived from multiple randomized clinical trials or meta-analyses; B - Data derived from a single randomized clinical trial or large non-randomized studie; C - Consensus of opinion of the experts and/or small studies, retrospective studies, registries