Skip to contents
In This Issue:
In an effort to improve overall heart health for both at-risk and healthy populations, Frank Sacks, MD, and BWH researchers collaborated with their counterparts at Johns Hopkins University to develop the Optimal Macro Nutrient Intake (OMNI) Diet. OMNI is a modified, healthier version of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet, created in the mid-1990s by BWH, Johns Hopkins, and researchers at three other institutions. DASH is currently considered the gold standard of diets for reducing high blood pressure and LDL cholesterol. However, DASH also lowered "good" HDL cholesterol and had no effect on tryglycerides, both of which are associated with an increased cardiovascular disease risk. The OMNI study revealed that replacing 10 percent of the carbohydrates central to DASH with proteins-beans, skinless poultry, nuts, egg substitutes-or with unsaturated fats-olive and other vegetable oils, nuts-further reduced the risk of heart disease by up to 13 percent. "What this study demonstrates is that minor changes in the diet can dramatically reduce risk of coronary heart disease and associated risks and could potentially add years to an at-risk individual's life," said Sacks. "Adherence to OMNI could potentially replace the use of blood pressure and cholesterol-reducing medications." Janis Swain, RD, MS, worked with Sacks to develop appropriate food choices for participants in the OMNI study. She directed the dietary component for the multi-center study. "It's not really a diet; it's a food pattern that's part of a lifestyle," she said.