Scientists compared 8 popular diets to see which ones work best for heart health. They looked at over 1,600 people following diets like keto, Mediterranean, DASH, and others. The study found that different diets excel at different things: keto was best for weight loss, DASH was best for lowering blood pressure, and low-carb diets were best for improving cholesterol. This suggests there’s no single ‘best’ diet for everyone - the right choice depends on your specific health goals and what heart disease risks you want to target most.
The Quick Take
- What they studied: How well 8 different diets (keto, Mediterranean, DASH, vegetarian, intermittent fasting, low-fat, low-carb, and high-protein) improve heart disease risk factors
- Who participated: 1,663 adults from 21 different diet studies who followed various eating plans
- Key finding: Keto diets led to the most weight loss (about 23 pounds), DASH diets lowered blood pressure the most, and low-carb diets improved good cholesterol the best
- What it means for you: You may want to choose your diet based on your biggest health concern - whether that’s losing weight, lowering blood pressure, or improving cholesterol levels