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For Registered Dietitians providing telehealth MNT. Covers nutrition therapy for coronary artery disease, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and elevated cardiovascular risk — lipid management, inflammation, and sustainable dietary pattern change.
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This guide supports evidence-based, patient-centered, telehealth-only medical nutrition therapy delivered by a registered dietitian for adults with coronary artery disease, other established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, or elevated atherosclerotic risk. It emphasizes practical lifestyle change, atherogenic lipoprotein burden, inflammation, and sustainable cardiovascular risk reduction.
Use the assessment and patient-centered care sections to establish priorities, then select interventions that match the patient’s diagnoses, preferences, resources, readiness, culture, symptoms, and medical plan. The six-session roadmap is a flexible sequence, not a requirement to cover every topic with every patient.
Atherosclerosis is driven by exposure to apoB-containing lipoproteins and is influenced by inflammatory, metabolic, hemodynamic, genetic, behavioral, and social factors.
MNT and lifestyle changes are indicated across the continuum, including when a patient uses lipid-lowering or antianginal medication, participates in cardiac rehabilitation, or has undergone revascularization.
A heart-healthy dietary pattern is more clinically useful than isolated restrictions. The strongest plan is nutritionally adequate, affordable, culturally congruent, and sustainable.
Lifestyle change is the cornerstone of cardiovascular treatment and risk reduction. Nutrition therapy should be integrated with, rather than presented as a replacement for, indicated medical treatment or evaluation of cardiac symptoms.
The RD provides MNT, nutrition education, behavior-change support, and monitoring of nutrition-related outcomes. Diagnosis of CAD, interpretation of cardiac imaging, medication prescribing or adjustment, exercise clearance, and treatment of acute symptoms are outside RD scope. Lab values used in this guide typically come from what the patient uploads or reports. As a telehealth-only service, the RD does not routinely communicate with the patient’s prescriber and may do so only when the patient has authorized and arranged that contact.