Many heart attack patients think the cardiovascular drugs they take will prevent a second heart attack, but they need to add a healthy diet as well to that prescription, new research finds.

A study of almost 32,000 patients in 40 countries discovered that those who ate a heart-health diet experienced the following benefits:

• 35 percent reduction in cardiovascular death risk

• 14 percent reduction in recurrent heart attack risk

• 28 percent reduction in heart failure risk

• 19 percent reduction in stroke risk

The study, which was posted online in the journal Circulation, is believed to be the first that
shows that a heart-healthy diet significantly lowers further heart-related risk, even beyond the effect of the medications that are routinely prescribed for heart attack survivors.

A heart-healthy diet was indicated by a high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and
nuts as well as a higher intake of fish compared to meat, poultry, and eggs.

If you’ve had a heart attack, it isn’t enough to just take your medications; you also have to
adhere to a healthy diet or risk another heart attack or cardiac event.