A/Prof. Sarah Zaman - 'Ketogenic Diet in the Management of People with Heart Failure'
Low Carb Down UnderSummary
A cardiologist presents research on the ketogenic diet's potential benefits for managing heart failure, particularly heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HEF-REF). The speaker highlights the significant global burden of heart failure, which affects 64 million people and leads to a 60% reduction in life expectancy for diagnosed patients. Current management primarily relies on pharmacological therapies, with dietary recommendations often limited to salt restriction.
The cardiologist emphasizes the need for more comprehensive dietary interventions and discusses the challenges of conducting randomized controlled trials in this area. Observational studies have often produced conflicting results, particularly regarding salt restriction, which recent trials have shown to have no benefit for heart failure patients. The speaker's interest in the ketogenic diet stems from positive outcomes observed in patients with metabolic syndrome and diabetes, prompting a pilot trial to assess the safety and feasibility of this diet for heart failure patients.
The ongoing trial aims to recruit 60 patients with HEF-REF, evaluating the ketogenic diet's effects on heart function and overall health outcomes. The research team is monitoring potential safety concerns, such as weight loss and blood pressure fluctuations, while hoping to establish a new therapeutic option for patients who currently have limited treatment success. Results from this pilot study are anticipated by 2026, with the potential for future larger trials if positive outcomes are observed.
Show Notes
Associate Professor Sarah Zaman is an Academic Interventional Cardiologist at Westmead Hospital and the Westmead Applied Research Centre, University of Sydney, Australia. Sarah has been recognised as a national leader in academic cardiology as recipient of the prestigious National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship and NSW Elite Post-doctoral Grant. She has also been recognised internationally within interventional cardiology; having been selected from a world-wide application process to the SCAI-ELM Fellowship.A/Prof Zaman has a PhD from the University of Sydney, targeting prevention of sudden cardiac death. She leads a Women’s Heart Disease Research Program at the University of Sydney focused on healthcare inequities in heart attack care for women and female-predominant cardiac conditions, such as spontaneous coronary artery dissection. She leads clinical studies and has more than $2 million in competitive grant funding.A/Prof. Zaman is regularly invited to national/international interventional scientific meetings and organises the Australian/New Zealand Endovascular Therapies scientific sessions and Essential Percutaneous Intervention Course. A/Prof Sarah Zaman is an active advocate for women in cardiology, having co-founded the Women in Cardiology groups for Australia/New Zealand.Please consider supporting Low Carb Down Under via Patreon. A small monthly contribution will assist in the costs of filming and editing these presentations and will allow us to keep producing high quality content free from advertising. For further information visit; https://www.patreon.com/lowcarbdownunder Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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