AHA 2026 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health Guideline Summary

Design and created by Guideline Central in participation with the American Heart Association.

Document Overview

Document Title: 2026 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health

Authoring Society: American Heart Association

Document Publication Date: Mar 31, 2026

Page Last Reviewed/Updated: May 22, 2026

Document Type: Consensus Statement

Country of Publication: United States

Full Text Freely Available: Yes

Full Text Guideline: www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001435

Source Citation: Lichtenstein, Alice H et al. “2026 Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.” Circulation, 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001435. 31 Mar. 2026, doi:10.1161/CIR.0000000000001435

Supplemental Implementation Resources

Features of a dietary pattern to promote cardiovascular health

Document Scope, Criteria, and Use Cases

Document Objectives

Poor diet quality is strongly associated with elevated cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality risk. This American Heart Association scientific statement for food-based cardiovascular health optimization and cardiovascular disease risk reduction guidance summarizes available evidence and provides contextual guidance for the key features of heart-healthy dietary patterns. It enumerates collateral benefits of adopting a heart-healthy dietary pattern in terms of nutrient intake adequacy and compatibility with other chronic disease risk reduction guidance. The features of a heart-healthy dietary pattern include (1) adjusting energy intake and expenditure to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight; (2) eating plenty of vegetables and fruits and choosing a wide variety; (3) choosing foods made mostly with whole grains rather than refined grains; (4) choosing healthy sources of protein; (5) choosing sources of unsaturated fats in place of sources of saturated fat; (6) choosing minimally processed foods instead of ultraprocessed foods; (7) minimizing intake of added sugars in beverages and foods; (8) reducing sodium intake by choosing foods low in sodium and preparing foods with minimal or no salt; and (9) if alcohol is not consumed, do not start; if alcohol is consumed, limit intake.

Features of a Dietary Pattern to Promote Cardiovascular Health

Adjust energy intake and expenditure to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight
Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits and choose a wide variety
Choose foods made mostly with whole grains rather than refined grains
Choose healthy sources of protein:
- Shift from meat to plant sources (legumes and nuts)
- Regularly consume fish and seafood
- Select low-fat or fat-free dairy products instead of full-fat dairy products
- If red meat is desired, choose lean cuts, avoid processed forms, and limit portion size
Choose sources of unsaturated fat in place of sources of saturated fat
Choose minimally processed foods instead of ultraprocessed foods
Minimize intake of added sugars in beverages and foods
Choose foods low in sodium and prepare foods with minimal or no salt
If alcohol is not consumed, do not start; if alcohol is consumed, limit intake

Scope: Counseling, Management, Prevention

Diseases/Conditions (MeSH)

D004032 - Diet

D000072001 - Diet, Healthy

D002319 - Cardiovascular System

Keywords: cardiovascular health, diet, dietary patterns

Inclusion Criteria: Male, Female, Adolescent, Adult, Child, Older Adult

Health Care Settings: Ambulatory, Childcare Center, Correctional Facility, Long Term Care, School

Intended Users: Dietician/Nutritionist, Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Physician, Physician Assistant

Recommendation Development Processes & Methodology

Supplemental Methodology Resources: Literature Review Supplement Methodology Manual

Number of Source Documents: 108

Literature Search Start Date: Monday, January 1, 2024

Literature Search End Date: Monday, December 1, 2025

Includes peer/external review process?: Yes

Includes multi-disciplinary group?: Yes

Includes systematic review?: Yes

Grades quality of strength of evidence?: Yes

Grades quality of strength of recommendation?: Yes

Discloses conflicts of interest?: Yes

Includes benefits/harms analysis with recommendations?: Yes

Identifies study selection process?: Yes

Identifies study selection criteria?: Yes

Identifies methods used to evaluate and analyze the evidence?: Yes

Identifies key questions addressed by the systematic review?: Yes

Identifies search strategy?: Yes