- The diet that has been shown to improve cardiovascular mortality in clinical trials is the Mediterranean diet, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains and fish.
- Like everything else, there are risks and benefits to alcohol intake. The most important point to note is that if you do not drink alcohol; do not start drinking it to improve heart health. There are other ways to improve heart health that have greater benefits like diet and exercise.
- If you do drink alcohol, drink in moderation - one drink per day for women and one to two drinks per day in men.
- One glass of red wine per day has been shown to be beneficial to heart health in some studies, mostly because of the flavonoids in red wine. The grape skin provides flavonoids and other antioxidant substances that protect the heart and vessels from the damaging effects of free oxygen radicals produced by our body.
- Dark chocolate also has flavonoids. Unsweetened cocoa — the cacao bean product with tons of healthy flavonoids — has only about 12 calories per tablespoon. Again, in moderation, this is a wonderful way to supplement your diet in a heart healthy way.
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