Adherence to healthy dietary patterns (e.g., Mediterranean, DASH) significantly reduces the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events and all-cause mortality, with effect sizes comparable to pharmacological interventions.

in large prospective cohort studies and randomized trials, higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, whole grains, fish, nuts, seeds, and legumes and lower intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages, refined grains, and red and processed meats are associated with reduced ASCVD risk... adherence to whole patterns of healthy eating (eg, the Mediterranean diet, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension [DASH] diet, and others) also reduce the risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality... in those with ASCVD, effect sizes are similar to some pharmacological interventions.