Adherence to a Very Low Fat Diet for Cardiac Rehabilitation Patients.

Diets encouraging 10% or less fat energy intake have been advocated to prevent progression of coronary artery disease. In this study, a randomized, controlled, repeated measures experimental design was used to determine if reducing fat intake incrementally to an eventual goal of 10% of total energy intake would result in better dietary adherence than would an immediate reduction to 10%. After completing a lifestyle education program and receiving personal dietary counselling, volunteers recruited from a cardiac rehabilitation program (treatment group, n = 4; control group, n = 3) completed a 24-hour recall at two, four, and seven months post-intervention.