Knowledge Tree
American Heart Association
Also known as: AHA
Facts (35)
Sources
New dietary guidelines underscore importance of healthy eating newsroom.heart.org Jan 7, 2026 19 facts
claimThe American Heart Association is committed to working with the U.S. administration to inform the development of an operational definition of ultraprocessed food, building upon the Association’s recent science advisory on ultraprocessed foods.
referenceThe American Heart Association publishes a scientific statement titled 'Dietary Guidance to Improve Cardiovascular Health'.
claimThe American Heart Association plans to issue updated dietary guidance later in 2026 to provide a science-first roadmap for a healthier America.
claimThe American Heart Association recommends that consumers prioritize plant-based proteins, seafood, and lean meats, while limiting high-fat animal products such as red meat, butter, lard, and tallow, due to their link to increased cardiovascular risk.
claimEduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, serves as the Chief Medical Officer for Prevention for the American Heart Association.
claimCheryl A.M. Anderson, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S., FAHA, is an American Heart Association board member and a professor and dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UC San Diego.
referenceThe American Heart Association publishes a science advisory titled 'Ultraprocessed Foods and Their Association With Cardiometabolic Health: Evidence, Gaps, and Opportunities'.
claimThe American Heart Association commends the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans for recommending increased intake of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, while limiting added sugars, refined grains, highly processed foods, saturated fats, and sugary drinks.
claimThe American Heart Association is involved in initiatives to improve the understanding of the role of healthy food in preventing and managing chronic disease, specifically the 'Health Care by Food' initiative and The Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI).
perspectiveThe American Heart Association advocates for policies to reduce sugary drink consumption.
claimDonald M. Lloyd-Jones served as the president of the American Heart Association from 2021 to 2022.
claimThe American Heart Association is a non-profit organization that has been a source of health information for more than one hundred years and is supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally.
referenceThe American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology co-authored the 'ACC/AHA Guideline on the Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease'.
claimThe American Heart Association operates an initiative called 'The Periodic Table of Food Initiative (PTFI)'.
referenceThe American Heart Association provides consumer information titled 'Healthy Food Facts: Your Guide to Balanced Eating'.
perspectiveThe American Heart Association expresses concern that the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans' recommendations regarding salt seasoning and red meat consumption could lead consumers to exceed recommended limits for sodium and saturated fats, which are primary drivers of cardiovascular disease.
perspectiveThe American Heart Association encourages the consumption of low-fat and fat-free dairy products for heart health, differing from the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans which highlight whole-fat dairy.
claimThe American Heart Association operates a food is medicine initiative called 'Health Care by Food'.
claimThe American Heart Association issued a statement in response to the release of the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans on January 7, 2026.
The Scientific Consensus on a Healthy Diet - NutritionFacts.org nutritionfacts.org Jun 30, 2021 7 facts
measurementAccording to a 2019 update, the percentage of Americans meeting the American Heart Association's diet quality criteria dropped to one in a thousand.
measurementIn 2006, only about 1 percent of Americans achieved a score of 4 or 5 on the American Heart Association's diet quality scale, which ranges from 0 to 5.
measurementAmerican teenagers achieved a score of zero on the American Heart Association's diet quality metrics as of the 2019 update.
measurementBy 2019, the percentage of Americans meeting the American Heart Association's basic diet quality criteria had declined to approximately 0.1 percent (one in a thousand).
measurementAmerican teenagers scored zero on the American Heart Association's diet quality score in the 2019 update.
measurementIn 2006, only about 1 percent of the American population achieved a score of 4 or 5 out of 5 on the American Heart Association's diet quality score, which included criteria such as consuming less than four and a half cups of soda per week.
claimThe American Heart Association (AHA) expressed concern approximately a decade ago that its 2020 target of improving cardiovascular health by 20% would not be reached if current trends continued.
True Health Intiative: Scientific Consensus on a Healthy Diet nutritionfacts.org Jul 31, 2025 3 facts
claimAs of 2006, most people in the United States were not smoking and had nearly achieved the American Heart Association's goal for exercise.
measurementAccording to a 2019 update, the percentage of Americans meeting the American Heart Association's ideal healthy diet score slipped to as low as one in a thousand, with American teens scoring zero.
measurementThe American Heart Association's criteria for an ideal healthy diet includes drinking less than four and a half cups of soda per week.
Origins and evolution of the Western diet: health implications for the ... academia.edu 2 facts
referenceThe American Heart Association published 'Heart and stroke statistics-2004 update' in Dallas in 2003.
referenceKrauss RM, Eckel RH, Howard B, et al. published the 'AHA dietary guidelines: revision 2000', a statement for healthcare professionals from the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association, in Circulation in 2000.
Global dietary quality in 185 countries from 1990 to 2018 show wide ... nature.com Sep 19, 2022 1 fact
claimThe study on global dietary quality was supported by grants from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (grant number OPP1176681) and the American Heart Association (grant number 20POST35200069).
Modern Diet and its Impact on Human Health - Longdom Publishing longdom.org 1 fact
referenceThe American Heart Association (2002) published 'AHA Scientific Statement: Fish Consumption, Fish Oil, Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease' in Circulation 106, 2747-2757.
The Western Diet: Processed Foods and Meats Are Killing Us sentientmedia.org Jan 10, 2019 1 fact
quoteThe American Heart Association states that "a healthy diet and lifestyle are your best weapons to fight cardiovascular disease."
Alignment With American Heart Association 2021 Dietary Guidance ahajournals.org Apr 27, 2023 1 fact
claimThe scientific statement titled 'Alignment With American Heart Association 2021 Dietary Guidance' aims to assess the alignment of commonly practiced US dietary patterns with the dietary guidance published by the American Heart Association in 2021.