Effects of a High Protein Diet on Clinical Outcomes in Heart Failure

Clinical management of heart failure (HF) related to obesity and diet recommendations currently lacks a strong scientific basis, and clinicians are divided in their approach to diet recommendations for this patient population. It has been shown that in extremely obese HF patients, weight reduction improves cardiac structure and function as well as functional status and symptomatology. Evidence on the impact of voluntary weight loss on improvement in survival in obese HF patients, however, is limited. The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not heart failure patients participating in a 3-month intensive lifestyle modification program of either a high protein (30% of total calories from protein) group will have a significant improvement in weight reduction, quality of life and clinical outcomes compared to a standardized protein (15% of total calories from protein) group. In addition to dietary interventions, participants in both groups with be given an exercise prescription and encouraged to exercise for 20-30 minutes at least 3-5 times each week as tolerated. They will also continue to receive usual medical care, advice and other support for their condition from their cardiologist or medical physician. Both sets of participants will utilize self-monitoring tools to assist with diet compliance and behavior change. These self-monitoring tools are mandatory and will be collected and analyzed. At each visit, subjects will also be asked to will also be asked to have their weight and waist circumference measured and, at select visits, they will provide a 24 hour recall to assess fullness with the overall diet. Subjects will be given a 3-day food (3DFR) record at baseline, which will be returned at the the 2-week, 4- week and 8-week visits, and will also complete the 3DFR at three months.