Allen, K. E., Gumber, D., & Ostfeld, R. J. (2019). Heart failure and a plant-based diet. A case report and literature review. Frontiers in Nutrition, 82.
The given piece of research presents a report regarding a case study done on the subject of the correlation between heart failure and a plant-based diet. The participant was a 54-year-old woman who switched to a plant-based diet in order to improve her health. The results showed a positive relationship between the change in eating habits and her health. The strength of the work lies in the patient’s medical history, which sheds light not only on the treatment of heart failure, but also diabetes and lower extremity edema. The gaps in the research come from the limitation of the sample, which consists of only one person. The conclusion based on simply one person’s experience can be considered a weakness.
Chang, L. L., DeVore, A. D., Granger, B. B., Eapen, Z. J., Ariely, D., & Hernandez, A. F. (2017). Leveraging behavioral economics to improve heart failure care and outcomes. Circulation, 136(8), 765–772.
The given article shows in great detail the main behavioral economic concepts that concern patients with heart failure. The strength of the paper lies in its thorough approach to the subject. It discusses a multitude of aspects of the subject, starting with the description of the main terms of behavioral economics and finishing with ideas for future development. The weak point of the paper is the fact that suggestions for the future are overshadowed by the core concept explanations. The gaps in the research lie in the lack of information on how technology could influence this field. In addition, the work is limited by time constraints, as it does not present long-term results of behavioral interventions.
Powell-Wiley, T. M., Poirier, P., Burke, L. E., Després, J. P., Gordon-Larsen, P., Lavie, C. J.,… & American Heart Association Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Epidemiology and Prevention; and Stroke Council. (2021). Obesity and cardiovascular disease: A scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 143(21), e984–e1010.
The strengths of the evidence in this article lie in its focus on research-based data from patients and a thorough approach to describing conditions with the inclusion of various metrics. The gap in the research is presented by the fact that it does not contain information as to how combinations of various ailments due to obesity affect the patients. The weakness of the paper is in its lack of specific details regarding patients’ age, race, gender, and so on. In addition, the article is limited by the fact that the randomized trials were not performed for all of the presented interventions and treatments.