OMNIHEART TRIAL STUDIES OPTIMAL DIET FOR PREVENTION OF HEART DISEASE.

The OmniHeart study was set up to evaluate three healthy dietary approaches by studying their effects on established coronary risk factors and a selected group of emerging risk factors. The three diets were: A) a carbohydrate-rich diet similar to the DASH diet, B) a diet rich in protein (almost half from plant sources), and C) a diet rich in unsaturated, mostly monounsaturated fat. The aim was to improve on the DASH diet, which has been shown to lower blood pressure and LDL cholesterol, and is advocated in several major US policy documents, including 2005 dietary guidelines. The researchers concluded that in the setting of a healthy diet, partial replacement of dietary carbohydrate with protein (about half from plant sources), or with unsaturated fat (mostly monounsaturated) can improve on the DASH diet by further lowering blood pressure, improving lipid profiles, and reducing estimated coronary heart disease risk in people with hypertension or prehypertension. (Medscape, 2005)