Cardiovascular Nutrition & Heart Health

The link between what we eat and the health of our hearts is one of the most studied — and most consequential — relationships in all of medicine. Cardiovascular disease remains the world's leading cause of death, and a substantial share of that risk traces directly back to diet. Cardiovascular Nutrition & Heart Health brings this connection into focus, exploring how nutritional choices influence the development, prevention, and management of heart and vascular disease.

Decades of research have built a detailed picture of how specific dietary components shape cardiovascular risk. Dietary fats and their effect on blood lipids, sodium and its relationship to blood pressure, fibre, antioxidants, and the cardioprotective qualities of whole-food patterns all feature prominently. The session examines the evidence behind heart-protective dietary models such as the Mediterranean and DASH approaches, while also addressing more contested questions — the role of saturated fat, the impact of ultra-processed foods, and the ongoing debates that keep this field intellectually alive.

Prevention sits at the core of the conversation, but so does management for those already living with heart disease, heart failure, or elevated cardiovascular risk. How is dietary therapy tailored to lipid profiles and blood pressure goals? How do clinicians support lasting dietary change in cardiac patients? Cardiologists, dietitians, preventive medicine specialists, and researchers will find substantial value here, alongside those advancing heart-healthy nutrition in clinical and community settings. For those at the Nutrition Conference, this session reinforces a message with global stakes: that diet is among the most powerful and accessible tools available for protecting the heart and extending healthy life.