Assessment of Dietary Habits in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Nutritional deficiency is a critical factor in the development and prognosis of heart failure. An optimal diet should be ensured and maintained to manage the symptoms of heart failure. PURPOSE: This study assessed the dietary habits of patients with chronic heart failure using diet quality indices with the goal of determining their nutritional status. METHODS: Forty-four female patients and 56 male patients (mean age 66 ± 11.38 years) who had been admitted to the cardiology clinics of a university hospital in Istanbul between March 2012 and August 2014 were included in this study. RESULTS: In terms of body mass index, 34% of the participants were normal weight, 37% were overweight, and 21% were obese. Furthermore, this study found the mean daily total energy intake to be inadequate and the total mean score of the Healthy Eating Index to be 74.6 ± 9.32. The diet quality of most participants fell into the "needs improvement" category. CONCLUSIONS: This study used the Healthy Eating Index, a measure developed to assess diet quality, to assess the food consumption patterns of patients with chronic heart failure. The findings support using this index before providing diet recommendations to patients.