Helena Hämäläinen, Pia Paalosmaa-Puusa, Ritva Seppänen, Merja Rastas1, Lars-Runar Knuts and Liisa-Maria Voipio-Pulkki
DOI: 10.1080/1650197732180186

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of dietary counselling and the predictability of success in reducing fat intake to less than 20% of total energy in patients with symptomatic coronary heart disease. Forty-seven patients with coronary heart disease attended a 2-week in-house cardiac rehabilitation course with the main emphasis on individual dietary counselling by a nutritionist. Patients were followed up at 3 and 6 months. The dietary data were collected by means of 3± 7days food diaries. Mean fat intake decreased from 33. 6 6. 2% to 24. 7 5. 5% of total energy intake at 3 months and to 27. 0 6. 9% (p < 0. 001) at 6 months. Only 13% of the patients were able to reduce their dietary fat intake as recommended. Thus, reduction of
20% was considered a good response, while reduction of < 20% was classi􏰣 ed as poor. Forty-seven percent (n = 22) of the patients were good and 53% (n = 25) poor responders. It was not possible to predict the success rate from the baseline data. After a 2-week intensive counselling period at the rehabilitation centre, half of the coronary patients were able to comply with a low-fat diet at home for 6 months. Long-term compliance requires further investigation