Home › Research › Prevention and risk
Diet and nutrition in cardiovascular disease prevention: a scientific statement of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology and the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing & Allied Professions of the European Society of Cardiology
Pedro Manuel Marques-Vidal, Vasiliki Tsampasian, Aedín Cassidy, Giuseppe Biondi‐Zoccai, Christina A. Chrysohoou, Konstantinos C. Koskinas, W. M. Monique Verschuren, Michał Czapla et al.. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 2025-05-21
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Plain-language summary
What we eat is a cornerstone of cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention, but health professionals may not have a clear understanding of the current evidence-based research to underpin eating habits and recommendations. This study aims to appraise existing evidence-based research on the importance of diet on CVD risk biomarkers, specifically, the effects of dietary patterns, specific foods, and constituents including vitamins/minerals and plant-derived bioactive compounds on CVD risk. Plant-based dietary patterns rich in minimally processed foods, vegetables, and fruits reduce CVD risk, while patterns rich in ultra-processed foods, meat, salt, sugar, and saturated fat increase risk. The Mediterranean, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and vegetarian diets reduce CVD risk, while vegan diets offer no additional benefit. Low-carbohydrate diets may be beneficial, but their long-term effect remains to be confirmed. Balanced distribution of caloric intake through different meals is associated with favourable effects. Fasting (e.g. alternate-day, intermittent, time-restricted, and periodic) can reduce CVD risk but is often challenging. Moderate coffee consumption is not associated with increased risk of CVD. The consumption of one unit of alcohol/day may contribute to a reduced cardiovascular risk without presenting an unfavourable risk profile. Generally, there is no evidence that vitamin and mineral supplementation reduces CVD risk. High potassium intake is beneficial in healthy individuals, calcium or selenium supplementation shows no added benefit, and high sodium intake is detrimental. Diet is a major component of CVD prevention, and health professionals should include dietary assessment and evidence-based recommendations in their clinical practice.
What this study adds
Evidence grade: Low
This scientific statement is about diet and cardiovascular disease prevention, not Alzheimer's disease. It reports that plant-based patterns such as the Mediterranean, DASH and vegetarian diets reduce cardiovascular risk, while diets high in ultra-processed foods, meat, salt, sugar and saturated fat increase it.
Taken from this record’s own fields, not from reading the paper. The grade is assigned from the abstract’s wording; what that means.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Marques-Vidal, P. M., Tsampasian, V., Cassidy, A., Biondi‐Zoccai, G., Chrysohoou, C. A., Koskinas, K. C., et al. (2025). Diet and nutrition in cardiovascular disease prevention: a scientific statement of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology and the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing & Allied Professions of the European Society of Cardiology. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf310
Vancouver
Marques-Vidal PM, Tsampasian V, Cassidy A, Biondi‐Zoccai G, Chrysohoou CA, Koskinas KC, et al. Diet and nutrition in cardiovascular disease prevention: a scientific statement of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology and the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing & Allied Professions of the European Society of Cardiology. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2025. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf310. PMID: 40504596.
BibTeX
@article{marquesvidal2025-40504596,
author = {Marques-Vidal, Pedro Manuel and Tsampasian, Vasiliki and Cassidy, Aedín and Biondi‐Zoccai, Giuseppe and Chrysohoou, Christina A. and Koskinas, Konstantinos C. and Verschuren, W. M. Monique and Czapla, Michał and others},
title = {{Diet and nutrition in cardiovascular disease prevention: a scientific statement of the European Association of Preventive Cardiology and the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing \& Allied Professions of the European Society of Cardiology}},
journal = {European Journal of Preventive Cardiology},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf310},
pmid = {40504596},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf310}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Balanced distribution of caloric intake through different meals is associated with favourable effects.
- Moderate coffee consumption is not associated with increased risk of CVD.
Why it matters
This scientific statement is about diet and cardiovascular disease prevention, not Alzheimer's disease. It reports that plant-based patterns such as the Mediterranean, DASH and vegetarian diets reduce cardiovascular risk, while diets high in ultra-processed foods, meat, salt, sugar and saturated fat increase it.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Prevention →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 49/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (European Journal of Preventive Cardiology) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | European Journal of Preventive Cardiology: journal h-index 133 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 47 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 15.7 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 39.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 47 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos: h-index 107 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Erasmus MC: institution h-index 1,321 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 18 institution(s) in 7 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40504596) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 49 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf310
- PubMed: 40504596
- Original source →
- Free full text: Utrecht University Repository (Utrecht University) →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Related studies in Prevention and risk from nearby years
Also in Prevention and risk
265 studies in the library are filed under Prevention and risk with no topic tag they share with another; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed tour of them. The Prevention and risk hub.