Men and women who adapt their daily diet to meet current UK dietary guidelines could reduce their risk of a heart attack or a stroke by up to a third, according to a recent study from King's College London.

"Our findings apply to middle-aged and older people without existing health problems," Emeritus Professor Tom Sanders, co-author from the Division of Diabetes & Nutritional Sciences at King's College London, said in a statement. "This is important because most heart attacks and strokes occur in those not identified as being at high risk. We show that adherence to current dietary guidelines which advocate a change in dietary pattern from the traditional British diet (high in saturated fat, salt and sugar, low in fiber, oily fish and fruit and vegetables) would substantially lower that risk."

For the study, researchers measured the blood pressure, vascular function and CVD risk factors (such as cholesterol) in 162 healthy non-smoking men and women (aged 40-70 years) who followed a traditional British diet (control group) or an adapted one over a twelve-week period. Those on the modified diet ate oily fish once a week, more fruit and vegetables, replaced refined with wholegrain cereals, swapped high-fat dairy products and meats for low-fat alternatives, and restricted their intake of added sugar and salt. Participants were asked to replace cakes and cookies with fruit and nuts and were also supplied with cooking oils and spreads high in monounsaturated fat.

The average body weight in the group who followed the modified diet fell by 1.3 kg whilst that in the control group rose by 0.6 kg after 12 weeks, resulting in an overall difference in weight of 1.9 kg between the two groups; the equivalent difference in Body Mass Index (BMI) was 0.7 between the groups. Waist circumference was 1.7 cm lower in the dietary group compared to the control group.

Levels of cholesterol also fell by 8 percent although changes in the ratio of total cholesterol to high-density cholesterol were modest compared with the effects of drugs such as statins. No significant change was recorded in markers for insulin sensitivity, which predicts the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

The findings are detailed in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.