Key result
Pakistan Dietary Guidelines lack the detailed CAD-specific targets and cardioprotective patterns of international guidelines.
Why the study?
CAD is the leading cause of death in Pakistan with rising prevalence in the young, making dietary guidelines essential for prevention and management.
Updating the Pakistan Dietary Guidelines to include more detailed CAD-specific quantitative guidance and structured cardioprotective diets is critical to address the country's rising CAD burden.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in Pakistan, with rising prevalence in the young population. Diet plays a crucial role in the development of coronary artery disease, making dietary guidelines essential for the prevention and management of CAD. This review is based on the Pakistan Dietary Guidelines for Better Nutrition (PDGN) and their comparison with international cardiovascular dietary guidelines, including those of the American Heart Association (AHA), the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), and the World Health Organization (WHO). The narrative review critically analyzes the current Pakistan Dietary Guidelines for Better Nutrition (PDGN) and compares them with international and well-established guidelines, such as those of the American Heart Association (AHA), the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), and the World Health Organization (WHO). This review found that PDGN offers culturally relevant and affordable recommendations and includes general quantitative dietary guidance; however, compared with selected international cardiovascular guidelines, it provides less detailed CAD-specific targets and limited emphasis on structured cardioprotective dietary patterns. International guidelines emphasize numeric thresholds and structured diets shown to reduce the CAD risk. Updating PDGN to include more detailed CAD-specific quantitative guidance, culturally adapted cardioprotective dietary patterns, and integration into clinical and public health strategies is critical to curb Pakistan’s rising CAD burden. Strengthening the guidelines is an opportunity to align national policy with global evidence and with cultural feasibility, thereby supporting improved cardiovascular outcomes.
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Gamaryani et al. (2026) conducted a review in Coronary artery disease. Pakistan Dietary Guidelines for Better Nutrition (PDGN) vs. International cardiovascular dietary guidelines (AHA, ESC, WHO) was evaluated. The Pakistan Dietary Guidelines for Better Nutrition provide culturally relevant guidance but lack the detailed CAD-specific targets and structured cardioprotective patterns of international guidelines.
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