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.