Prevention & lipidsCohort study
Relationship of the healthy diet characteristics recommended by the 2021 ESC guidelines with vascular events in patients with established cardiovascular disease (CVD)
- Prospective cohort study
Authors' conclusion
Patients with established CVD reported adhering to a median of 4 out of 11 Healthy Diet Characteristics and adhering to these was related to a lower risk of combined non-fatal stroke and myocardial infarction.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with established CVD in the UCC-SMART cohort
- Participants
- 2,553 patients
- Exposure
- Adherence to ESC 2021 Healthy Diet Characteristics
- Outcome
- Non-fatal vascular events:
- Stroke
- MI
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Hazard ratio
0.89
95% CI 0.82–0.98
Each additional Healthy Dietary Characteristic
HR 0.89 (95% CI 0.82–0.98)
Each additional Healthy Dietary Characteristic, as printed
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Diet characteristics reported
- Median Healthy Diet Characteristics met (of 11), 25-75th percentile 3-5
- 4
- Fish ≥100 g/week
- 58%
- Vegetables ≥200 g/day
- 16%
- Saturated fat <10 energy-percent
- 12%
- More plant-based diet
- 19%
Original publication
Relationship of the healthy diet characteristics recommended by the 2021 ESC guidelines with vascular events in patients with established CVD. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 23 October 2025. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf679
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it