Health · Medical Research · 5 hrs ago
Study links two healthy diets with heart rhythm measures
Researchers in the Netherlands studied 7,256 adults aged 40 to 75 who took part in the Maastricht Study.
They compared participants’ eating habits with 24-hour recordings of heart activity.
The diets assessed were the Mediterranean, DASH, Dutch Healthy Diet and MIND patterns.
Heart rate variability measures changes in the time between heartbeats and can reflect how the heart is regulated.
The study focused on whether diet patterns were linked to heart rate variability, a measure associated with cardiovascular health.
Because the analysis compared information collected at one point in time, it cannot show that a diet caused changes in heart function.
The study says two diets stood out, but the available details do not identify them or explain the specific findings; further research is needed.
Researchers analyzed whether four healthy dietary patterns were associated with heart rate variability in adults in the Maastricht Study.
The cross-sectional analysis included 7,256 adults aged 40 to 75 in the southern Netherlands.
Participants had 24-hour heart recordings, and their diets were assessed using a food questionnaire.
The study examined Mediterranean, DASH, Dutch Healthy Diet and MIND dietary patterns.
The researchers said evidence linking overall dietary patterns with heart rate variability remains limited and inconsistent.
- Who
- Researchers studying 7,256 adults participating in the Maastricht Study.
- What
- A cross-sectional analysis of associations between four dietary patterns and heart rate variability.
- When
- The study was published on November 2, 2026. Participants were recruited between November 2010 and October 2020.
- Where
- The Maastricht Study took place in the southern Netherlands.
- Why
- Researchers investigated whether healthy dietary patterns were associated with heart rate variability, a marker of cardiac autonomic function.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Maastricht Study recruited 9,187 participants.
News-Medical reported on the study, published in Scientific Reports.
- Participants included
- 7,256 adults
- Age range
- 40–75 years
- Location
- Southern Netherlands
- Dietary patterns assessed
- Mediterranean, DASH, DHD and MIND
- Heart monitoring
- 24-hour ECG recordings
What people are saying
evidence linking overall dietary patterns with HRV remains limited and inconsistent, and further large-scale prospective research is needed