Heart Disease Prevention - How Is Gut Bacteria Linked To Heart Disease?

Trillions of bacteria and other microbes live in the gut. These microbes are mostly friendly, and they break down toxins, crowd out invaders, manufacture certain vitamins and amino acids and train the immune system. However, some of them are not so friendly and are influencing heart health in previously unseen ways. Click the following link to find out more!

Heart Disease Prevention - How Is Gut Bacteria Linked To Heart Disease?

Which Diet Could Prevent Heart Disease?

Heart disease is the number one killers globally. People who are smokers, overweight or obese, have diabetes, high blood pressure are at a higher risk of developing heart disease. To prevent heart disease, one should not only have more physical activities but also follow a heart-healthy diet. 

When it comes to heart-healthy diets, there are so many different varieties, for instance, low-fat diets, low-carb diets, Mediterranean diets, and many others. When facing so many alternatives, people may find it hard to decide which diet should they adopt.

Following a heart-healthy diet may, however, not be as confusing as one may image. First of all, let us look at some of the diets.

Carb (carbohydrate) is one of the 3 macronutrients (the other 2 are protein and fat). Main purpose of carbs is to provide energy. Most carbs get broken down or transformed into glucose that can be used as energy. Carbs can also be turned into fat (stored energy) for later use.

Among carbs, there are whole and refined carbs. Being unprocessed, whole carbs contain the fiber found naturally in the food (vegetables, whole fruit, legumes, potatoes and whole grains). Refined carbs, on the other hand, have been processed and had the natural fiber stripped out. Good examples of refined carbs include sugar-sweetened beverages, fruit juices, pastries, white bread, white pasta, white rice.

Numerous studies show that refined carb consumption is associated with health problems like obesity and Type-2 diabetes but hundreds of studies have also reported that eating high-fiber carbs like vegetables, fruits, legumes and whole grains could lead to improved metabolic health and a lower risk of disease. Likewise, scientists have found that some fats are actually good for the body, for instance, omega-3 fatty acids. As a result, the contemporary dietary recommendations from proponents of the low-carb diets and the low-fat diets increasingly resemble each other.

The renowned Mediterranean Diet, a diet incorporates the traditional healthy living habits of people from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, can be viewed at a compromise between low-fat and low-carb. Despite some variations by region, a typical Mediterranean diet involves eating plenty of starchy foods, such as bread and pasta (wholegrains varieties), plenty of fruit and vegetables, some fish, less meat, and choosing products made from vegetable and plant oils, such as olive oil. A 2013 study found that people following a Mediterranean diet had a 30 percent lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

It is not necessary to strictly follow any of the diets mentioned. A heart-healthy diet can simply be one that people eat only enough calories to keep a healthy weight, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, use wholegrain breads and pastas, eat omega-3 rich fish, chicken and legumes as primary protein source, eat less red meats, and of course, avoid trans fats and processed foods. Limiting alcohol intake and eating some nuts may help improve the heart-healthy diet, too.

Heart Disease Prevention - Can Nuts And Seeds Help Prevent Heart Disease?

Nuts and seeds are usually consumed as snack. But very often, people are told not to have too much of them because of their high fat and caloric content. In fact, eating them may help increase lifespan, lower the risk for cardiovascular disease and cancer, help in weight loss, and good for diabetes management.

Heart Disease Prevention - Can Nuts And Seeds Help Prevent Heart Disease?

Heart Disease Prevention - How Olive Oil Is Important For Heart Disease Prevention?

Being low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber, Mediterranean diet is often praised to be a healthy diet. One of main reasons is that olive oil contains monounsaturated fats, most notably oleic acid. To find out how olive oil is important for heart disease prevention, click the following link:

Heart Disease Prevention - How Olive Oil Is Important For Heart Disease Prevention?

Heart Disease Prevention - Why Mediterranean Diet Is Healthy?

Mediterranean diet is the traditionally living habits of people from countries around the Mediterranean Sea, including Italy, France, Greece and Spain. Though Mediterranean cuisine may vary from region to region and has many definitions, it is basically based on vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, cereal grains, olive oil and fish. Some may even include red wine. But why is it healthy? Find out more at:

Heart Disease Prevention - Why Mediterranean Diet Is Healthy?

Why People Should Have Mediterranean Diet?

Mediterranean diet is not new. As shown by numerous studies, it can help people live longer and prevent heart disease. Mediterranean diet emphasizes eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, fish and poultry, and limiting intake of red meat. It may incorporate cooking with olive oil, herbs and spices. If desirable, red wine may also be added as part of the diet but in moderation and is not compulsory.

Researchers from Institut d'Investigacions Biomediques at Hospital Clinic, Barcelona and other institutions found that Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts might help prevent age-related cognitive decline in older population. Their findings were released online May 11, 2015 and published in July 2015 in the ‘Journal of the American Medical Association's JAMA Internal Medicine’.

A group of 447 volunteers (233 of them were women) in Spain, who had an average age of 67, were followed. They were considered at high risk of heart disease, which has somehow been known to relate to dementia: people with a higher risk of one frequently have a higher risk of the other.

The volunteers were divided into 3 groups: 155 were assigned in the group with 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil added each day, 144 belonged to the group with 30 grams of nuts (a mix of walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds) added a day, and the remaining people were asked to have the low-fat diet.

From time to time, the volunteers were tested on memory skills. The group who ate the extra nuts did better in terms of memory and the group given extra virgin olive oil performed better on tests that required quick thinking.

Slightly more than 13 percent of those in the group getting extra olive oil and about 7 percent of those in the group getting nuts were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment that may or may not lead to Alzheimer’s disease. Around 13 percent of those in the group with low-fat diet developed memory loss. 

Over the period of 4 years, many of the volunteers actually had their memories get better. On average, those in the low-fat group lost some memory and thinking skills but those who got extra nuts had their memory skills improve, and those who got olive oil had improvement in problem-solving and planning skills.

In view of the lack of effective treatments for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, it is necessary to have preventive measures to delay the start or minimize the effects of these conditions. Though the current findings on Mediterranean diet is encouraging, according to researchers, further studies are still necessary for confirmation.

Heart Disease Prevention - Which Is The Most Effective Diet Plan?

According to a study published September 3, 2014 in ‘JAMA (Journal of The American Medical Association)’, all the diet plans were equally effective after comparing diet plans like South Beach, Atkins and Weight Watchers. Researchers from McMaster University in Ontario and other institutions pointed out that low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets resulted in the most weight loss, though the difference was small. Read more @Heart Disease Prevention - Which Is The Most Effective Diet Plan?

Would Mediterranean Diet Benefit Elderly?

Mediterranean diet is a nutritional recommendation that is built on high proportion of olive oil, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains and fish. It follows closely the traditional dietary patterns of people living in the areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea including Greece, southern Italy and Spain, and is also characterized by a moderate consumption of wine, dairy products, and poultry, together with a low consumption of red meat, sweet beverages, creams, and pastries.

Being low in saturated fat and high in monounsaturated fat and dietary fiber, Mediterranean diet has been praised for increasing longevity and preventing chronic disease and cognitive decline. In fact, initially healthy middle-aged adults in the Mediterranean region have found to have low incidence of fatal and non-fatal heart disease if they adhere closely to the Mediterranean diet.

In 2011, a systematic review found that a Mediterranean diet appeared to be more effective than a low-fat diet in achieving long-term changes to cardiovascular risk factors like lowering cholesterol level and blood pressure.

On April 17, 2013, a group of Spanish researchers reported in the ‘Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences’ that adherence to a Mediterranean diet is associated with a lower risk of hyperuricemia.

Hyperuricemia is defined as a serum uric acid (SUA) concentration higher than 7 mg/dl in men and higher than 6 mg/dl in women. It is associated with metabolic syndrome, hypertension (high blood pressure), Type-2 diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, gout and, cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. It is believed that the Mediterranean diet might help lower SUA concentration because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

7,447 male participants aged between 55 and 80 years old were examined in the 5-year study. These men were free from cardiovascular disease but had either Type-2 diabetes mellitus or were at risk of coronary heart disease. They were assigned to 1 of the 3 intervention diets: 2 were Mediterranean diets enriched with extra virgin olive oil or mixed nuts, and 1 was a control low-fat diet.

Only 4,449 participants were included in the analysis. Their concentrations of uric acid at baseline were available (of these, 1,551 were assigned to the Mediterranean diet plus olive oil group, 1,407 to the Mediterranean diet plus nut group, and 1,491 to the control low-fat diet group).

The findings of the study revealed positive health effects of a Mediterranean diet in older adults. The rates of reversion were higher among hyperuricemic participants at baseline who had greater adherence to the Mediterranean diets. Meanwhile, the researchers also found that the reversion of hyperuricemia was achieved by adherence to the Mediterranean Diet alone, without weight loss or changes to physical activity.

Can Nutrigenetic Diets Help Overweight Individuals Lose Weight?

When an individual becomes overweight or obese, he or she becomes a likely candidate for many medical disorders including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure (or hypertension). Therefore, he or she will always be advised to trim the weight by appropriate weight management program.

A finding, which appeared at the online journal BioMed Central: Nutrition Journal in November 2007, indicated that overweight individuals might lose weight and keep it off through personalized diets, based on an individual’s genetic makeup. The researchers also found that people on nutrigenetically tailored diets were more likely to stick to the diet, which means they had greater success in the long term.

Cheek cells were used to screen DNA for 24 variations in 19 genes known to affect nutrient metabolism. The researchers then compared the case histories of 50 individuals who were on nutrigenetic diets with those of 43 patients who did not receive a nutrigenetically tailored diet.

The patients participated in the study were attending a weight loss clinic in Athens, Greece. All of them followed a traditional weight management program that involved a Mediterranean diet, together with exercise and regular follow-up clinic visits. Nevertheless, the researchers modify the diet of the nutrigenetic group based on the genetic results of each individual in the group.

During the first few months, there was no difference was noticed in weight loss between the 2 groups. After about one year, however, the traditional diet group showed a slight average weight gain while the group on nutrigenetic diet continued to lose weight. 300 days later, individuals in the group on nutrigenetic diet were about 5-times more likely to have maintained their weight loss than that in the traditional diet group. Improvement in blood sugar levels was also noted in those in the nutrigenetic diet group.

The researchers believe that by adding a genetic, personalized component to a weight loss program may actually improve motivation and compliance. Meanwhile, the personalized diet might well optimize the content of macro- and micro-nutrients for the individual during a period when overall food consumption is reduced and energy expenditure is increased.

Another Way to Lose Weight – Nutrigenetic Diets

Most people are aware that the more weight they gain the higher chances that they might be short-listed as victims of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even certain types of cancer. Unfortunately, weight can still be accumulated in one’s body gradually and un-noticeably. Once one becomes overweight or even obese, it would be extremely difficult for him or her to lose the unwanted weight.

A recent study outlined a way to help overweight individuals lose weight and keep it off by using personalized diets based on the individual’s genetic makeup. The researchers from Sciona, the Boulder, a company based in Colorado, reported in online journal BioMed Central: Nutrition Journal in 2007 that people who went on ‘nutrigenetically tailored diets’ were more apt to stick to the diet, and had greater success in the long term.

The study was partially funded by Sciona, which makes the testing system used to develop a person's nutrigenetic diet.

In the study, the case histories of 50 'nutrigenetic' dieters were compared with those of 43 patients who did not receive a nutrigenetically tailored diet.

All of these patients were attending a weight loss clinic in Athens, Greece by following a traditional weight management program involving a Mediterranean diet with exercise and regular follow-up clinic visits. Nevertheless, the researchers modified the standard Mediterranean diet of the nutrigenetic group to tailor the genetic results of each patient.

There was no much difference between the 2 groups in term of the amount of weight loss. After about one year, the nutrigenetic dieters continued to lose weight but a slight average weight gain was observed among the traditional diet group.

After another 300 days, it was found that the nutrigenetic dieters were about 5 times more likely to have maintained their weight loss than were the traditional dieters, and the nutrigenetic dieters also had improvements in their blood sugar levels.

In conclusion, the researchers suggest that adding a genetic, personalized component to a weight loss program might improve motivation and compliance. Moreover, the personalized diet is more suitable as the content of macro- and micro-nutrients were optimized for an individual during a period when overall food consumption is reduced and energy expenditure increased.

People Are Abandoning Their Healthy Diet!

Mediterranean diet, with its emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, has followers all over the world. It has been recommended and praised by health experts as one healthy diet that will keep people from being overweight, healthy and long living. As we know, overweight is a risk factor for many diseases like heart disease, diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), etc.

However, it seems that its popularity was dropping lately in some Mediterranean countries including Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Instead, the people in these regions are now in favor of food that has too much fat, salt and sugar. This is the latest warning issued by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), a United Nation body on July 29, 2008.

Growing affluence had altered the way people eat in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Near East. They had switched from their traditional diet, which is light on animal products to more meat and fatty foods. In other words, what they are eating now is just too fat, too salty and too sweet.

Because of higher calorie intake and less physical activities, the people in Greece have now the highest average body mass index and highest prevalence of overweight and obesity among the EU (European Union) member countries. In fact, 3 quarters of the Greek population are overweight or obese. Meanwhile, there is more than half of Italian, Spanish and Portuguese populations are overweight.

In the Near North-East Africa region, there is a significant increase in the overall calories and glycemic load of the diets as well. In general, people with a high glycemic index are prone to get health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.

According to the survey conducted on the 15 EU nations, citizens across the EU were generally ignoring the recommendations made by both the FAO and the WHO (World Health Organization) regarding the calorie intake. Statistics showed that the calorie intake for people in Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta have increased by 30 percent.

Higher income is probably the only reason for people to change their eating habits. Things like development of supermarkets, working women having less time to cook and families eating out more often in fast food restaurants could also contribute to the change in eating habit. More importantly, the lifestyles of these people, who are consuming more calories, have become more sedentary as they exercise less.

Diet That May Help Prevent From Diabetes!

In general, there are 2 types of diabetes, namely Type-1 and Type-2. Type-1 is caused by permanent destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. This type of diabetes usually appears in patients during the early stage in life. On the other hand, the adoption of sugary and fatty diets and sedentary lifestyle has caused Type-2 diabetes to become an epidemic in developed and developing countries. Without a proper medical treatment, diabetes might lead to kidney failure, blindness, heart disease and even death.

According to the estimation by the International Diabetes Federation, the number of cases, including many adolescents, will raise from 246 million today to 380 million by 2025.

Recently, researchers from the University of Navarra in northern Spain reported in the British Medical Journal on May 29, 2008 that Mediterranean diet, which is believed to benefit the cardiovascular system, also helps protect against diabetes.

Mediterranean diet comprises mainly olive oil, fish, grains, fruit, nuts and vegetables, usually supplemented by a modest amount of red wine. Only a small portion of meat and dairy products are included the diet.

In the study, 13,753 people with graduate-level education were recruited between December 1999 and November 2007. These subjects had no history of diabetes when they were enrolled. Over the following months and years, their health and dietary habits were then tracked in details.

During the follow-up period (an average of 4.4 years over the range of participants), 103 people became diagnosed with Type-2 diabetes. A large percentage of these cases are those who did not follow the basics of the Mediterranean diet. Meanwhile, those who adhered to the diet most strictly had a relative reduction of 83 percent in the risk of diabetes.

Interestingly, many people in this group also had accumulated many risk factors for the disease: they were older, were fatter, had a family history of diabetes, more sedentary lifestyle or were ex-smokers. Yet, they appear to have been protected by the diet.

Numerous previous studies have proved that Mediterranean diet helps cardiac and vascular health. A paper published in January 2008 in the British journal Thorax revealed that women who followed the diet while pregnant might also protect their baby from childhood asthma and allergy.