Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is caused by narrowed or blocked arteries that lead to reduced blood flow to the peripheral limbs. This is also a condition that affects your legs and general mobility. When the arteries are partially or fully blocked with plaque buildup, it constricts blood flow to the muscles. PAD patients may experience discomfort and pain in their legs, because the lack of blood flow keeps oxygen and nutrients from getting through your body, making it more difficult for you to be active. Because it’s a condition that usually develops over time, often making lifestyle changes can help reduce symptoms associated with PAD and reduce the risk for health complications.

At Vascular Care Specialists of Los Angeles, Dr. Mathew Cheung and Dr. Peter Lin discuss why diet plays an important role in patients with peripheral artery disease. In this article, you will learn that a balanced diet can complement the treatment for PAD. Eating healthy is one of the numerous ways you can be proactive if you are at an increased risk for PAD.

While a healthy diet won’t solve the negative effects of having PAD, it can help alleviate your symptoms and is an important part of a treatment plan for PAD. When you eat a diet low in fats and simple carbohydrates, it helps to increase good cholesterol intake while reducing triglycerides levels. This diet can reduce your risk and serves as the best diet for PAD and a healthy lifestyle. Simple carbs include sugary and processed foods like potato chips, cereal, and cookies. Complex carbs, like vegetables, whole grains, and fruits, tend to be healthier than simple carbs because they can help lower bad cholesterol levels in the body.

Fiber is one component of a healthy diet for PAD because it attaches to fats in your diet and pushes them out of the system as waste. Without fiber, these fats could be absorbed into the bloodstream and develop into plaque in the arteries. It is recommended to increase your fiber intake to at least 25 grams per day. Foods rich in fiber include chickpeas, beans, brown rice, nuts, popcorn, and dried fruits. Some of the best overall foods to eat for PAD include fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains. Monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and Omega3 fats are all healthy ingredients for a PAD diet. When consumed in moderation, each of these fats won’t raise your level of bad cholesterol, which can prevent plaque buildup in the arteries. These good cholesterol foods include olive oil, fatty fish, nuts, and avocados.

The key is to follow a heart-healthy diet — reduce your intake of saturated fats, simple sugars, fats, and trans fats. That change will help reduce inflammation in your blood vessels and your entire body. Limit sodium and increase your fiber intake, too. Two important diets which are beneficial for your heart and vascular circulation are discussed below.

The Mediterranean diet focuses on increasing healthy fats and decreasing unhealthy fats. This diet is also recommended by the American Heart Association as it has been shown to help improve the quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease, which is a risk factor for developing PAD.

A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that men ages 55 to 80 and women ages 60 to 80 lowered their risk of PAD and had fewer PAD symptoms when they followed a Mediterranean diet. This diet includes whole grains, fish, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fatty fish, and legumes. Enjoy moderate amounts of dairy, and limit meat or meat products. ‌ Because consuming high levels of salt is linked to high blood pressure, lowering your sodium intake can also slow the progression of PAD.

The DASH Diet, which means Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, limits sodium, sugar, and fat intake and emphasizes fruits and vegetables, whole grain foods, nuts, fish, and poultry. It’s been proven to reduce high blood pressure and the risk of having a heart attack. It may reduce PAD symptoms because it lowers inflammation and decreases your risk of a blockage.

PAD is caused by a buildup of fatty plaque, which comes from bad cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein or HDL) that is left in the blood vessels. Eating a diet high in fats, cholesterol, sodium, and triglycerides can increase your risk for PAD. Too much HDL cholesterol in your blood vessels causes the fatty deposits to harden, and restrict the blood flow to your legs, among other parts of the body. Good cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL) gets removed from the body, which is why it is a better dietary choice.

If you’re concerned that an unhealthy lifestyle and poor diet may have led to any current health issues you’re experiencing, schedule an appointment with one of our skilled vascular doctors. They can make an accurate diagnosis of your condition and educate you about potential treatment measures.

If you have already been diagnosed with PAD, our vascular specialists can recommend the best course of action for your condition, including how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid unhealthy foods.

For example, it is important to limit foods with high saturated fat content as they can increase the inflammation in your blood vessels and throughout the body. Increased inflammation poorly impacts the effects of vascular diseases including peripheral artery disease.

Sodium intake should be kept a maximum of two grams per day. It’s also important to cut down on monounsaturated and trans fats, which are most commonly found in snack foods, commercially prepared baked goods, nuts, olive oil, and canola oil. These fats can clog up the arteries, which reduces the blood flow to your legs.

Animal fats should be avoided or significantly cut down. This includes meats, dairy products, and eggs as they all have higher amounts of bad cholesterol than other foods. They can be replaced with fish and non-dairy alternatives.

For people not experiencing the impact of PAD, eating a healthy diet can help you decrease your risk of developing PAD. Enriching your diet with the right foods may help lower your blood pressure, reduce bad cholesterol intake, and prevent plaque buildup in the arteries. Although a healthy diet won’t prevent PAD all by itself, maintaining a healthy lifestyle can reduce your risk of developing the condition.

If you have PAD or are experiencing symptoms, maintaining a healthy diet won’t reverse your condition, but it can be a beneficial step to take. Treatment is always essential in your journey toward full health, but your diet serves as a necessary piece of the puzzle. USA Vascular Centers offers minimally invasive treatments for PAD that are designed to help you feel better with shorter recovery time.

At Vascular Care Specialists of Los Angeles, we strive to provide the best service, care, and results possible. If you have leg symptoms related to peripheral arterial disease and would like to learn more about treatment options, give us a call at 626-275-9566 to schedule an appointment. You can also visit us at www.vcsla.com for more information.