A SERVING OF BEANS A DAY KEEPS HEART DISEASE AWAY

A new review finds that eating a daily serving of legumes can help reduce "bad" LDL cholesterol as well as your risk for heart disease.  Canadian researchers examined 26 U.S. and Canadian studies that included a total of more than 1,000 people. Their analysis showed that getting at least one daily serving (3/4 cup) of legumes -- foods such as beans, chickpeas, lentils and dry peas -- was linked to a reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by 5%.  A daily three-fourths of a cup is approximately double the intake of the average American.  

Why are beans so good for us?  They are high in protein, fiber, pre-biotics (substances that promote the healthy bacteria in the gut), natural plant sterols and stanols, healthy minerals such as magnesium and potassium, and antioxidant  polyphenols.  The high fiber and sterol/stanol content of beans acts like a sponge blocking the digestion of nutrients in other foods that raise cholesterol.  Their fiber and protein also make beans a slowly-digested, low glycemic food that does not cause spikes in blood sugar.  There is also some evidence that the potent antioxidant content of beans may help reduce risk of several cancers.

Some of the study participants reported stomach problems such as bloating, flatulence, constipation or diarrhea as a result of eating legumes.  Increasing intake gradually and soaking dry beans overnight helps to reduce the unwanted gastrointestinal effects of beans.  It has also recently been found that adding a supplement of probiotic lactobacillus bacteria to the soaking beans can further reduce the gas beans cause.

What to do:  Try to get a serving of beans each day.  Here are some ways to get more beans into your diet:

*Add cooked beans or chickpeas to green salads.

*Put them into soups, stews, and chili's.  Lentils cook quickly and make delicious hearty soups.

*Throw together a quick salad of beans and leftover rice, spring onions, bell pepper cubes, parsley topped with lemon olive-oil vinaigrette.

*Whip up a 3-bean salad.

*Make a bean and canned-fish salad (such as the classic Italian tonno e fagioli).

*Eat hummus or black bean dip as a snack with carrot sticks or celery or spread it on bread or pita.

*Mash warm beans, refried-bean style, with garlic, herbs and olive oil as a tasty side-dish.

*Saute cooked beans in olive oil with garlic and shredded greens (spinach, arugula, baby broccoli, kale, etc.) for a delicious, quick dinner.

*Have them in a breakfast burrito or soft tacos.

*Make them into a crunchy snack by roasting cooked chickpeas or edamame tossed  in olive oil and spices.

Adapted from articles available at:

http://www.integrativeoncology-essentials.com/2014/04/beans-beans-really-good-heart/

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_145542.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140407122749.htm

http://www.examiner.com/article/new-health-benefits-found-for-beans-chickpeas-and-lentils

Source:

Ha V, Sievenpiper JL, De Souza RJ et al.  Effect of dietary pulse intake on established therapeutic lipid targets for cardiovascular risk reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. CMAJ, 2014 DOI:10.1503/cmaj.131727

THE LINK BETWEEN SATURATED FAT AND HEART DISEASE IS QUESTIONED

One of the consistent nutrition messages in the last 50 years is that saturated fats found in dairy and meat raise blood cholesterol and therefore increase the risk of heart disease.  However, this time honored recommendation is now being called into question.  A recent editorial arguing limiting saturated fat does not curb heart disease risk by cardiovascular disease researcher Dr. DiNicolantonio  and a review of the current research by Dr. Siri-Tarino and colleagues have been generating a reexamination of the evidence on this subject.

 Dr. DiNicolantonio points out that the original findings that linked saturated fat and heart disease were based on epidemiologic (population) studies in which researchers cherry-picked the evidence for groups that matched their hypothesis while excluding populations for which there was contrary evidence.  And, the 2010 Siri-Tarino review of existing epidemiologic studies on the relationship between saturated fat and heart disease found no significant evidence saturated fat intake increases cardiovascular disease rates.  Another reason saturated fat has been linked to heart disease is the evidence that it raises LDL cholesterol levels but, increasingly, it is being recognized that LDL cholesterol is made up of a combination of artery damaging small dense LDL particles and comparatively benign light large LDL particles and it appears that saturated fat mostly increases the light large LDL rather than the dangerous small LDL in the blood.  Dr. DiNicolantonio argues the real drivers of increases in the small damaging LDL particles is over-consumption of carbohydrates especially in the form of sugars and refined grains.

Additionally, one of the chief reasons saturated fat has been linked to heart disease is the finding that diets high in red meat, which is generally high in saturated fat, are linked with higher heart disease rates.  This is especially true for processed meat.  In the past few years researchers have been uncovering other ways that meat may be contributing to heart disease.  It appears that the nitrites in processed meat can damage arteries and increase metabolic problems linked to diabetes.  Also, it has been found carnitine which is especially rich in meat may be metabolized into a substance that increases arterial damage by small LDL particles.

What to do:  While new questions are being raised about the role of saturated fat in heart disease risk, it is too early to make a definitive conclusion.  Stay tuned.  In the meantime, there is stellar epidemiologic evidence that a traditional Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil, nuts, fish, beans, fruits, and vegetables does help to prevent and improve cardiovascular disease.  At the same time there is also good evidence diets high in processed carbohydrates such as refined flour and sugar do increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.  

Adapted from articles available at:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140305191429.htm

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/273528.php

Sources:

DiNicolantonio JJ. The cardiometabolic consequences of replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates or omega-6 polyunsaturated fats: do the dietary guidelines have it wrong? Open Heart. 2014;1. doi:10.1136/openhrt-2013-000032.

Micha R, Wallace SK, Mozaffarian D. Red and processed meat consumption and risk of incident coronary heart disease, stroke and diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta analysis. Circulation2010;121:2271-83.  Available at: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/3/535?ijkey=2755fae85a1e0c716ad5d4419af2cd89c40e3388&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha&linkType=ABST&journalCode=ajcn&resid=91/3/535&atom=/bmj/347/bmj.f6340.atom

Siri-Tarino P, Sun Q, Hu FB, Krauss RM.  Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease.  Am J Clin Nutr 2010; 91: 535-46.  Available at: http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/121/21/2271.full.pdf+html

FIVE SMALL MEALS NO BETTER FOR WEIGHT LOSS THAN HAVING TWO BIG MEALS

Many people are told that in order to boost their metabolism, consume five small meals instead of 2-3 regular meals.  However, a new small study challenges this notion, finding that metabolism is not impacted by meal frequency.

In the study, researchers provided 24 women with diets of a set calorie amount but one day they split the calories into five small meals and on another day they divided them between two meals.  They measured participants' metabolic rate and calories burned on both days and found that the metabolic rate (the rate at which individuals burn calories) did not significantly differ whether eating five or two meals. 

Researchers also took blood samples at the start and before bed on the treatment days to assess how different biomarkers of inflammation responded to the two dietary treatments.  Inflammation is linked to greater risk for heart disease and diabetes.  The researchers found that for lean women there was no difference in inflammatory response to the five-meal plan and the two-meal plan, but that for obese women, they had higher levels of inflammation after the five-meal plan than the two-meal plan.  So, the two-meal plan proved marginally better for obese women in this small study.     

What to do:  This study echoes the findings of previous work.  Weight loss mostly depends on what we eat, not when we eat it.  In this study the intake of participants was kept constant to see if meal timing and frequency influenced metabolism.  However in the real world where individuals choose how much they eat, for some adopting a small and frequent meal plan helps to cut down on total intake while for others more frequent eating translates into greater total intake.  Observe your patterns and choose an eating schedule that allows you to best moderate caloric intake and make healthy choices.   

Adapted from articles available at:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_145347.html

Source:

Milan Kumar Piya, M.D., clinical lecturer, U.K. National Institute for Health Research, University Hospital Coventry and University of Warwick, England.  Press release for March 25, 2014, presentation, Society for Endocrinology meeting, Liverpool, U.K.