Diets high in sodium lead to hypertension, or high blood pressure, which is also linked with the malady. Thus, a decrease in the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol for all people, as well as limiting the amounts of total fat, processed sugars, and calories for those who are overweight, is recommended for preventing the disease (Stamler 1982, p. 95). Obesity, a result of a poor diet and lack of exercise, is a risk factor for heart disease, and a combination of diet improvement and an exercise schedule is recommended for the treatment of obesity and prevention of heart disease ("Diet and Heart Disease" 2007). Dietary change has also been prescribed in the treatment of heart disease. For example, Pereira et al. found that a low-glycemic diet was effective in treating and preventing heart disease as well as obesity (2004). Similarly, eating an abundance of fruits and vegetables, and avoiding meat and other foods that are high in fat, is recommended for a healthy heart ("How to use diet to treat heart disease" nd). Thus, heart disease is a sickness that is critically linked with diet and other diet-related conditions such as obesity and hypertension. Studies have suggested that a heart healthy diet, or a diet low in fat and salt, is important in both the prevention...

(2006). Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics -- 2006 Update.
Circulation 113, p.85-151.

Diet and Heart Disease. (2007). Retrieved September 6, 2008, from the Australian

Government Health Institute.

Web Site: http://www.healthinsite.gov.au/topics/Diet_and_Heart_Disease

Stamler, Jeremiah. (1982). Diet and Coronary Heart Disease. Biometrics 38, 95-114.

Heart Disease. (nd). Retrieved September 6, 2008, from the Federal Government Source for Women's Health Information.

Web Site: http://www.4woman.gov/faq/heartdis.htm#b

How to Use Diet to Treat Health Disease. (nd). Retrieved September 6, 2008, from eHow.com

Web Site: http://www.ehow.com/how_2048176_use-diet-treat-heart-disease.html

Pereira, Mark a., Swain, Janis, Goldfine, Allison B., Rifai, Nader & Ludwig, David S.

2004). Effects of a Low-Glycemic Load Diet on Resting Energy Expenditure and Heart Disease Factors During Weight Loss. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 292 (20). Retrieved September 6, 2008 from, http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/292/20/2482