For a majority of patients with advanced heart failure, medical treatment is only partially effective in relieving heart failure symptoms. Therefore, it is recommended that palliative care be initiated soon after diagnosis. There is a need for complementary, nonpharmacologic interventions that could be easily implemented by health care providers to provide palliative care. Three major pathologic pathways underlying heart failure symptoms have been identified: fluid overload, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Prior research has demonstrated that three nutrients-sodium, omega-3 fatty acids, and lycopene-can alter these pathologic pathways. Clinical trials to date have only tested each nutrient individually. There is strong theoretical rationale that a combined intervention targeting all thre nutrients would have substantial benefit in relieving symptoms in advanced heart failure. Therefore, the purposes of this study are to test the effects of a 6-month nutrition intervention o dietary sodium reduction combined with supplementation of lycopene and omega-3 fatty acids on heart failure symptoms, health-related quality of life, and time to heart failure rehospitalization or all-cause death.
The aims of this double blind-placebo controlled study are 1) to determine the effects of a 6-month nutrition intervention on symptom burden (edema, shortness of air, and fatigue) and health related quality of life at 3 and 6 months, and time to heart failure rehospitalization or all-cause death over 12 months from baseline;2) compare dietary sodium intake, inflammation, and markers of oxidative stress between the nutrition intervention group and a placebo group at 3 and 6 months;and 3) compare body weight, serum lycopene, and erythrocyte omega-3 index between the nutrition intervention group and a placebo group at 3 and 6 months. A total of 175 patients with advanced heart failure will be randomized to either the nutrition intervention or placebo group (75 per group). The nutrition intervention group will receive a theory based education and skill building intervention designed to decrease dietary sodium intake to ~2 g per day. A research nurse will make 4 home visits and one follow-up telephone call over 6 months to provide the education-skill building intervention. The intervention group will take 3 omega-3 fatty acid capsules (350 mg eicosahexaenoic acid and 50 mg docosahexaenoic acid) and consume tomato juice or other tomato-based products containing 20-25 mg of lycopene daily for six months. The placebo group will receive the same number of visits and phone calls but only general nutrition information will be provided. They will take 3 placebo capsules containing soybean oil (500 mg/capsule) and consume their choice of fruit juices that do not contain lycopene daily for six months. Data will be collected in person at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months by a research assistant blinded to the group assignment. Patients will be followed for an additional 6 months by telephone to collect longer term data on symptom burden and quality of life as well as heart failure hospitalization and all-cause mortality at 9 and 12 months.
Despite optimal drug therapy, most patients with heart failure remain symptomatic, leading to poor quality of life and frequent rehospitalizations. The proposed study is aimed at improving symptoms and quality of life in patients with advanced heart failure through a low cost, easily administered intervention of dietary sodium restriction coupled with lycopene and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. The knowledge to be gained by defining the role of dietary interventions in heart failure is invaluable and will pave the way for future research in this area.
| Saleh, Zyad T; Wu, Jia-Rong; Salami, Ibrahim et al. (2018) The Association Between Depressive Symptoms and N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide With Functional Status in Patients With Heart Failure. J Cardiovasc Nurs 33:378-383 |
| Lennie, Terry A; Moser, Debra K; Biddle, Martha J et al. (2013) Nutrition intervention to decrease symptoms in patients with advanced heart failure. Res Nurs Health 36:120-45 |
| Lennie, Terry A; Chung, Misook L; Moser, Debra K (2013) What should we tell patients with heart failure about sodium restriction and how should we counsel them? Curr Heart Fail Rep 10:219-26 |
