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Heart Disease

See cholesterol link

Vitamin C dose over 700 mg/day reduces heart disease! Antioxidant vitamins and coronary heart disease risk: a pooled analysis of 9 cohorts Paul Knekt et al Am. J. Clinical Nutrition,  Dec 2004;  80:  1508 - 1520. Design:A cohort study pooling 9 prospective studies that included information on intakes of vitamin E, carotenoids, and vitamin C and that met specific criteria was carried out. During a 10-y follow-up, 4647 major incident CHD events occurred in 293 172 subjects who were free of CHD at baseline. Results:… Compared with subjects who did not take supplemental vitamin C, those who took >700 mg supplemental vitamin C/d had a relative risk of CHD incidence of 0.75…Supplemental vitamin E intake was not significantly related to reduced CHD risk. Conclusions:The results suggest a reduced incidence of major CHD events at high supplemental vitamin C intakes. ..

Cocoa, diabetes, and hypertension: should we eat more chocolate?

Cesar G Fraga

“With respect to cardiovascular health, one class of flavonoids, the flavanols, is receiving increasing attention (2). Cacao, tea, grapes, and grapefruit are examples of edible plants that are rich in flavanols… the consumption of dark chocolate improves glucose metabolism and decreases blood pressure…The polyphenol contents of the dark and white chocolate were assumed to be 500 and 0 mg, respectively …The authors found that the dark chocolate supplement was associated with improved insulin resistance and sensitivity and decreased systolic blood pressure, whereas white chocolate had no effect… Cocoa is rich in flavanols,… the regulation of nitric oxide (NO) production by the flavanols present in dark chocolate could explain its effects on both insulin sensitivity and blood pressure…”

OMEGA 3 REDUCES HEART ATTACK RISK

http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/abstract/134/11/2991

Dietary Linolenic Acid Reduces Inflammatory and Lipid Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Hypercholesterolemic Men and Women   Guixiang Zhao*, Terry D. Etherton*,, Keith R. Martin*, Sheila G. West**, Peter J. Gillies and Penny M. Kris-Etherton*,2

Linolenic acid (ALA) reduces cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, possibly by favorably changing vascular inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Inflammatory markers and lipids and lipoproteins were assessed in hypercholesterolemic subjects (n = 23) fed 2 diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and high in PUFA varying in ALA (ALA Diet) and linoleic acid (LA Diet) compared with an average American diet (AAD).,, The 2 high-PUFA diets decreased serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides similarly (P < 0.05); the ALA Diet decreased HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein AI compared with the AAD (P < 0.05). ALA appears to decrease CVD risk by inhibiting vascular inflammation and endothelial activation beyond its lipid-lowering effects.

SATURATED FAT AND HEART DISEASE: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/80/5/1102

"After a comparison of the effects of the 2 diets in both men and women, the incidence of coronary artery disease was lower by 50% and 65% after the consumption of polyunsaturated fat in the 2 hospitals." Roc's Translation: Unsaturated fats, especially olive oil and fish oil which contain omega-3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation, remain particularly beneficial to health.

USE OLIVE OIL: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/80/4/1012

Mutual adjustment between olive oil and vegetables, which are frequently consumed together, indicated that olive oil has the dominant beneficial effect on arterial blood pressure in this population.

Use whole grain foods!