AIIMS develops IAMD diet combining Indian and Mediterranean foods to reduce heart disease risk, lower BMI, and improve overall health.
Due to unhealthy eating patterns and erratic lifestyles, heart disease is becoming more common in New Delhi, especially among young people. As a result, 74 Indo-Asian Mediterranean Diet (IAMD) dishes have been developed by AIIMS physicians. According to a study, this diet, which consists of fruit, lentils, fish, and green vegetables, lowers inflammation in the body and may help prevent heart disease.
Doctors from AIIMS’s Cardiology Department have created the Indian Adapted Mediterranean Diet (IAMD), which combines traditional Indian food with the anti-inflammatory tenets of the Mediterranean diet, in an attempt to combat the rising rates of diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease, even among young people.
Over the course of three months, 57 patients with coronary artery disease were tested on the diet, which included 74 specifically created dinners.
Significant health benefits were demonstrated by the findings, which were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Following the diet, patients’ Body Mass Index (BMI) declined from 25.3 to 24.7 kg/sq. m., and they also had lower cholesterol, HbA1c levels, and inflammation. While consumption of vital nutrients including protein, vitamins C, D, E, folate, and other micronutrients increased, the hormone ghrelin, which is associated with hunger, decreased as well.
AIIMS : IAMD Diet Promotes Heart Health with Indian-Mediterranean Foods
In order to avoid heart disease, Dr. KK Talwar, Chairman of the PSRI Heart Institute, emphasized the value of stress management in the workplace, in schools, and in families, as well as early knowledge and good dietary practices. The risk of heart disease could be considerably reduced by enhancing daily routines and eating habits, according to Dr. Aditya Kumar Singh, Associate Director and Minimally Invasive Heart Surgeon at Max Smart Super Speciality Hospital.
The IAMD emphasizes increasing consumption of anti-inflammatory foods and balancing carbohydrate intake. Antioxidant-rich Mediterranean-style foods were mixed with traditional Indian mainstays. Foods that are suggested include:
- Green leafy vegetables, such as mustard greens, fenugreek, spinach, and bathua
- Legumes and veggies: lentils, mixed vegetables, and beans
- Sources of protein include fish, poultry, eggs, and paneer.
Additional healthy ingredients include seasonal fruits, apple and beetroot raita, buckwheat pudding, garlic, onion, carrot, beetroot, coriander, and mint.
The diet includes a full daily menu that includes breakfast, lunch, evening tea, dinner, and morning tea. Patients were also encouraged to pair chicken or fish with spinach and fenugreek. The web portal (http://iamdiet.in) offers the entire menu.
According to the study’s findings, the diet was simple for the majority of patients to follow at home, making it a useful and successful tactic for managing and preventing heart disease while enhancing general health.