Living with ATTR-CM

Eating well

What you eat plays a big role in supporting your heart health. Keeping your heart as healthy as possible can help manage your symptoms of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) and, in turn, may help improve your energy, mood, and daily life.

Eating well does not mean giving up everything you enjoy; it is about making small, positive changes over time. The following simple eating habits can help support your heart and overall wellbeing:

If you have diabetes, ask your doctor about the types and portions of fruit that are right for you
Reduce the amount of saturated fats in your diet
Reduce the amount of salt you put in your food. Too much salt can raise blood pressure and cause your body to hold on to fluid, which can put extra strain on your heart
It is important to drink enough water throughout the day to help keep you hydrated, but you should avoid drinking too much, as it can cause your body to hold on to fluid. Talk to your doctor about how much water you should drink based on your hydration needs
If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation and consider reducing how much you drink
If you smoke, it is best to stop as soon as possible to protect your heart and lungs

Watch this 1 minute 26-second video with Pablo Garcia-Pavia to learn about dietary and lifestyle recommendations for people living with ATTR-CM.

Pablo Garcia-Pavia is the Head of the Inherited Cardiac Diseases and Heart Failure Unit, Department of Cardiology, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain.

Transcript

Patients with TTR cardiomyopathy suffer from a progressive and a chronic condition, so it’s very important that they are aware of having a healthy behaviour and lifestyle. It is important that regarding the diet, they keep fluid intake below certain levels to avoid retention of fluids. So therefore we recommend them not to take more than 1.5 litres of liquids per day. So this includes coffee, milk, any fruit juices and certainly water. So we advise our patients to measure the quantity of fluids that they are drinking over the day.

Also regarding diet, we recommend not to eat too much salt because this is not good for their hearts. Moreover, regarding lifestyle, we recommend them to have an active life and do exercise as much as they can because this is good for the body and this preserves the function of the muscles.

To make healthy eating easier each day, you may want to try some of these tips:

Plan your weekly meals and snacks to simplify food preparation and avoid last-minute unhealthy choices
Prepare meals and snacks at home to give you more control over which ingredients are used
Batch cook meals and freeze them when able, so you can still eat healthy options when short on time
Read food labels to help you choose foods with lower amounts of added sugar, salt, or fat
Keep healthy snacks accessible, like fruits, nuts, or yoghurt, to help you avoid eating unhealthy options when hungry

Combining healthy eating with gentle physical activity, good sleep, stress management, and regular check-ups will help keep your heart as healthy as possible. Learn more here.

To explore topics in other sections, click on the links below:

Supporting someone with ATTR-CM

Define your role, build a network, look after yourself

Further support

Explore common questions, understand key terms, pronounce complex words

What is amyloïdose?

Understanding amyloidosis: Know your condition, understand your type, recognise your symptoms

Managing ATTR-CM care

Recognizing early signs and symptoms of ATTR-CM can help support timely diagnosis.

References

1
World Heart Federation. Living With Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy: A Toolkit for Patients. Available at: www.world-heart-federation.org/wp-content/uploads/WHF_ATTR-Tool-Kit.pdf (Last accessed: March 2026).
2
American Heart Association. Prevention and Treatment of Cardiomyopathy. Available at: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/cardiomyopathy/prevention-and-treatment-of-cardiomyopathy (Last accessed: March 2026).
3
Cardiomyopathy UK. Keeping active. Available at: https://www.cardiomyopathy.org/keeping-active (Last accessed: March 2026).
4
Sharma S, Goswami R. Mayo Clinic Proc Inn Qual Out. 2024;8:184–187.