Contrary to popular perception high protein intake can increase longevity in heart failure patients
Heart failure patients who consume more protein live longer.
The findings of a new study that came to this conclusion were presented at the Heart Failure 2018 and the World Congress on Acute Heart Failure, a European Society of Cardiology congress.
Older adults typically eat less protein than younger adults despite studies in the general population showing they should be eating more in order to maintain optimal muscle mass.
Heart failure is a serious medical condition where the heart does not pump enough blood around the body as well as it should. This means that the blood does not deliver sufficient oxygen and nutrients to the body to allow it to work normally.
Around one in ten 70-year-olds has heart failure.
The study explored the association between protein intake and survival in 2,281 patients with heart failure in the BIOSTAT-CHF study, which was conducted in 11 countries in Europe.The average age of patients in this analysis was 68 years and 27% were female.
International Congestive Heart Failure Study (INTER-CHF) study 2017, showed that overall mortality was 16·5% – highest being in Africa (34%) and India (23%)
Daily protein intake was estimated from urine urea excretion, corrected for urine creatinine and body mass index (BMI) using a validated formula. Patients were divided into four groups according to the amount of protein they consumed, and then the association with mortality was assessed.
After adjusting for multiple variables including age and renal function, patients in the lowest quartile of protein intake had a 46% higher risk of death than those in the highest quartile of protein intake.
The burden of heart failure has been increasing steadily in India due to the spurt of noncommunicable diseases.
According to the first state level disease burden study 2017, the contribution of non-communicable diseases in India have risen from 30% of the total disease burden in 1990 to 55% in 2016, with ischaemic heart diseases being the number one culprit.
Although nationwide data is scarce, the International Congestive Heart Failure Study (INTER-CHF) study 2017, which was conducted in 108 centres in 16 countries showed that overall mortality was 16·5% – highest being in Africa (34%) and India (23%), intermediate in southeast Asia (15%), and lowest in China (7%), South America (9%), and the Middle East (9%). The study was published in the Lancet.
Koen Streng, study author and PhD student, University Medical Centre Groningen, the Netherlands, said: “We observed that in patients with heart failure, a higher protein intake is independently associated with better survival. The study did not look at causes for this link, but it is likely that dietary protein builds muscle mass which is beneficial for health in these patients.”
“A randomised controlled trial is needed to determine a recommended amount of daily protein intake for patients with heart failure,” he added.
