The Role of Nutrition Therapy in the Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease

In the United States, cardiovascular disease remains the number one cause of death. The most prevalent risk factor for cardiovascular disease is poor nutrition and thus, proper nutrition is often used as a preventative measure. With the expensive and often ineffective medications and procedures currently being used to treat cardiovascular disease, we need to find a better solution. One promising solution is nutrition therapy, which is the implementation of proper nutrition guidelines into the treatment plan of patients with cardiovascular disease. After close research and analysis of four popular diets, a vegan (plant-based) diet, vegetarian diet, and Mediterranean diet could offer improvement of cardiovascular disease risk factors and chances of cardiovascular disease mortality. Different ways to start implementing nutrition therapy in medicine include emphasizing nutrition education in medical school and/or including registered dietitians in the treatment process for cardiovascular disease patients.