EATING PLENTY OF BERRIES CUTS HEART ATTACK RISK

A large 18-year study has found that while eating plenty of all fruits and vegetables is good for heart health, getting three or more servings per week of berries especially reduces heart attack risk.

The study included nearly 94,000 young and middle-aged women who took part in the Nurses' Health Study II. Participants who ate the most blueberries and strawberries were 32% less likely to have a heart attack, compared to women who ate berries once a month or less – even among women who otherwise ate a diet rich in other fruits and vegetables. This benefit was independent of other heart risk factors such as advancing age, high blood pressure, family history of heart attack, body mass index, exercise, smoking, and caffeine and alcohol intake.

Blueberries and strawberries are believed to be especially heart healthy because they contain high levels of flavonoid phytonutrients called anthocyanins which are believed to promote healthy blood vessel elasticity and prevent arterial plaque build-up and the coronary arterial blockages that lead to heart attacks.   

What to do:  Eat plenty of foods rich in anthocyanins.  These are naturally present in dark red- and blue-colored fruits and vegetables, so, in addition to blueberries and strawberries, they are also found in high amounts in cherries, cranberries, grapes, black currants, plums, raspberries, blackberries, beets, and red cabbage.  Aim for 3 or more cups of these foods per week.  Even in winter this is not hard to do.  Roasted beets or borsht soup are great wintertime favorites.  Frozen berries retain most of the nutrients of fresh berries and can be easier to keep on hand and more economical.  Make berries a part of your daily intake by adding them to smoothies, cereal, oatmeal, or lowfat yogurt.  And, they are also great as a snack by themselves!

SOURCE: Cassidy A, Mukamal KJ, Liu L, Franz M, Eliassen M.  High anthocyanin intake is associated with a reduced risk of myocardial infarction in young and middle-aged women.  Jan. 14, 2013, Circulation online.  Available at:  http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/127/2/188.full

Adapted from articles available at:

http://newsroom.heart.org/news/strawberries-blueberries-may-cut-heart-attack-risk-in-women

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_133063.html

http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=672494

ARTERIES DAMAGED EACH TIME YOU HAVE A MEAL HIGH IN UNHEALTHY FAT AND SODIUM

New research is demonstrating how making an unhealthy meal choice not only has implications for your long-term health but also how well your body functions in the present.  The findings of two recent Canadian studies illuminate how each unhealthy meal you eat, not only puts you at risk for weight gain but reduces your blood vessels’ capacity to dilate and achieve healthy blood flow.   However, a healthy Mediterranean diet-type meal, if the portions are not in excess of needs, may help blood flow.    

In both studies, the researchers assessed how meals affected the inner lining, the endothelium, of the blood vessels. Endothelial dilation -- widening of the vessels -- enables the vessels to deliver needed oxygen to the body’s cells. Healthy blood vessels are elastic and able to dilate but as heart disease develops the blood vessels stiffen and lose their capacity to adequately expand, so endothelial function is a strong predictor of the risk for heart disease. 

In the first study, out of the Montreal Heart Institute, researchers compared how arterial blood vessels responded when persons were fed either a healthy Mediterranean-style meal or a fast food-type meal.  The fast-food type meal, comprised of a sandwich made with sausage, egg and cheese as well as three hash browns, was laden with unhealthy saturated fats and sodium.  In contrast, the Mediterranean meal was rich in healthy fats and antioxidants and included salmon, almonds, and vegetables cooked in olive oil. 

After eating the fast food-type meal, the participants' arteries dilated 24% less than they did when they had not eaten or when they had eaten the Mediterranean-style meal.  Researchers also analyzed how the vessels of persons with healthy and unhealthy levels of blood triglycerides responded to the two meals.  Triglycerides are a fat in the blood that, when too high, cause health problems such as clogging of the arteries and the development of fatty deposits in the liver.  Interestingly, researchers found that among those with high triglycerides, the Mediterranean-style meal helped to improve endothelial function while the fast-food meal decreased endothelial function even more than it did for those with healthy blood triglycerides. 

Similarly, in another study, conducted by a team in Calgary, Alberta, researchers examined how blood vessels responded after the consumption of two ham, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches with a total of 50g of fat and 900 calories.   Sure enough, compared to the participants who had not eaten recently, the blood vessels of those who ate the two breakfast sandwiches worked less effectively and dilated significantly less two hours after the meal.

Why did these meals impair arterial function?  Foods containing high levels of saturated fat are believed to increase inflammation and raise circulating blood cholesterol that can build up on the walls of the blood vessels.  Meals high in sodium can increase blood pressure which also stresses the arteries' healthy functioning.

What to do:  You already know!  Make healthy choices.  Stay away from foods high in sodium (salt) and unhealthy saturated fat found in fatty meats and creamy dairy foods such as cheese.  Next time you eye a thick hamburger, remember each and every unhealthy meal you have is doing real time damage to your cardiovascular system.   

Adapted from articles found at:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_130857.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_130819.html

Source:

Todd Anderson, M.D., director, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, University of Calgary, Canada; Chris Fahs, graduate assistant, department of health and exercise science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Okla.; Oct. 30, 2012, presentation, Canadian Cardiovascular Congress meeting, Toronto

LESS FILLING! BRAIN SCANS REVEAL FRUCTOSE NOT AS SATIATING AS OTHER SUGARS

New research suggests that fructose, a simple sugar added to many foods as part of high-fructose corn syrup, does not dampen appetite nearly as much as another simple sugar, glucose.  Researchers posit that consuming foods rich in fructose, which contribute less to fullness, contributes to overeating and weight gain.

For this study, Yale University researchers fed 20 healthy adults drinks with either pure fructose or pure glucose.  Before and after consuming each of the sugars, researchers took brain scans of the participants to assess appetite-related changes in blood flow in the appetite-center, the hypothalamic region, of the brain. When people consumed glucose, levels of hormones that play a role in feeling full were high.  However, when participants consumed fructose, they showed smaller increases in the hormones that are associated with satiety. Thus, these results suggest that fructose does not dampen appetite as much as glucose.  In response to these findings, obesity expert, Dr. Louis Aronne at New York-Presbyterian stated, "Things as subtle as a change in sweetener can have an impact on how full somebody feels, and could lead to an increase in calorie intake and an increasing pattern in obesity seen in this country".

Still, obesity experts cautioned that while these findings are intriguing, it is important to keep in mind that, in the real world, most foods contain a combination of sugars.  Glucose and fructose are both simple sugars that are naturally found in fruits, grains, and sweeteners.  Table sugar is equal parts glucose and fructose.  Dairy contains glucose but not fructose.  High-fructose corn syrup, a common sweetener in soda, usually has a formulation of 55% fructose and 42% glucose. 

What to do:  Regardless of how fructose compares to glucose, minimize your intake of highly sweetened foods and beverages.  To satisfy your sweet tooth, opt for whole-foods that have sweetness such as fruits and starchy vegetables like squash and yams.  Foods such as fruits that contain sugars bound up in plant fibers contain less total sugar and raise blood sugar more slowly than concentrated sources of sugars such as soda, juice, candy, and sweets.  

Adapted from article found at:

http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=672039

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/254512.php.

Sources:

"Effects of Fructose vs. Glucose on Regional Cerebral Blood Flow in Brain Regions Involved With Appetite and Reward Pathways"; Page KA, Chan O, Arora J, and others; JAMA 2013;309(1):63-70; DOI:10.1001/jama.2012.116975.
"Fructose Ingestion and Cerebral, Metabolic, and Satiety Responses"; Purnell JQ, Fair DA. JAMA 2013;309(1):85-86; DOI:10.1001/jama.2012.190505