From: Responses to a GP survey: current controversies in diet and cardiovascular disease
Topic of comments | Number of comments | Questions comments related to | One good representative example of comments from this category |
---|---|---|---|
General value of diet in cardiovascular health. | 10 | Q1 and final comment | Even if it has less effect on lipids than the statin, diet is still important in other areas of cardiovascular health. |
Trans fatty acids an important risk factor. | 7 | Qs 3, 4, 5 and final comment | Excess saturated fat, cholesterol and trans-fats all increase the risk of CVD. |
Refined sugar an important risk factor | 7 | Qs 4, 7 and final comments | Complex carbohydrates have a beneficial effect and refined sugar the opposite. |
HDL/cholesterol ratio is the best guide | 6 | Q3 | Both HDL and LDL are equally relevant. The ratio between them is important. |
References to diet and metabolic syndrome | 5 | Qs 6, 7 and final comments | Carbohydrates are negative in that they contribute to the metabolic syndrome and DM |
Low GI diet is beneficial | 3 | Q7 | A high GI diet has been shown to be a risk factor for CVD |
Sugar can be converted to fat | 3 | Q7 | High intake of refined sugar leads to dyslipidaemia with sugar converted to fat |
GPs need more nutrition knowledge | 3 | Final comments | I wish we doctors had more access to education related to nutrition |
Advise patients to eat more plant foods | 2 | Q4 | The main source of fats should be plant rather than animal derived. |
High homocysteine is a risk factor for CVD | 1 | Final comments | Excess protein in the diet is an important risk factor, especially excess methionine from cheese. It leads to high homocysteine levels. |
VLDL cholesterol is an important risk factor | 1 | Q3 | LDL is more important than HDL but VLDL cholesterol is even more so. |
Role of omega-3 in preventing CVD deaths | 1 | Q2 | Omega 3 is anti-thrombotic and anti-arrhythmic. Synthetic supplements have been disappointing. |