Food to Restore a Heart

reproduced from Aurametrix

We know that diet, exercise and low-stress life will keep the heart healthy. But sometimes things happen that are beyond our control.

Thanks to more coordinated, faster emergency response and improved treatment, heart attacks aren't as deadly as they used to be. But survivors still face a substantial risk of further cardiovascular events.

How to restore after a heart attack and prevent another one? What to do besides obvious things such as taking medications, reducing stress, calories, avoiding urban air pollution and getting rid of bad lifestyle habits like smoking?

Increase Cereal Fiber

Dietary fiber helps to lower cholesterol levels (as it inhibits cholesterol synthesis, increases the production of short-chain fatty acid and the rate of bile excretion), blood pressure, glucose absorption, improving insulin sensitivity, and increasing levels of antioxidants. A high-fiber diet, in general, was associated with a 31% reduction in dying from any cause and a 35% reduction in death from heart disease among over 4 thousand heart attack survivors from the Health Professionals Study and the Nurses’ Health Study.

More recent Harvard study went a step further analyzing the types of fiber consumed by thousands of men and women who survived a first myocardial infarction (MI). All participants of the study increased their average dietary fiber intake after MI, and the greater the increase, the lower was the risk of subsequent all cause and cardiovascular mortality. among cereal fiber, fruit fiber, and vegetable fiber,  only intake of cereal fiber was strongly inversely associated with lower all cause and cardiovascular mortality: pooled hazard ratio 0.73 (0.58 to 0.91) for all cause mortality, 0.72 (0.52 to 0.99) for cardiovascular mortality. In the general population, a 20-40% risk reduction in coronary heart disease has consistently been observed among those who consume fiber-rich whole grains regularly

An earlier study of over 31,000 California Seventh-day Adventists found a 44% reduced risk of nonfatal coronary heart disease and an 11% reduced risk of fatal coronary heart disease for those who ate whole wheat bread compared with those who ate white bread.

One minor change in diet could, indeed, save a life.  

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Don't overdo it on the protein

Low carbohydrate plant diets might be beneficial in reducing blood pressure ​and reducing cholesterol.

Yet, Dr Shanshan Li and her Harvard colleagues did not find a health benefit for heart attack survivors from a low carbohydrate diet even if it was low in fat and came from plant sources.

Greater adherence to a low carbohydrate diet high in animal sources of fat and protein was associated with higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality post-MI.

According to the Institute of Medicine. healthy individuals should get at least 10% of their daily calories, but not more than 35%, from protein. Heart attack survivors in the Harvard and the Nurses’ Health Study ate from 15% to 20% protein (65 to 40% carbohydrates) and the lowest intake of protein seemed to be the best. It also correlated with the lowest intake of fat. Associations between the animal-based low carbohydrate diets and mortality were diminished after additionally adjusting for saturated fat.

A few older studies suggested that low carbohydrate plant-based diet may slightly decrease coronary heart disease in women and heart-healthy individuals, but there might be different dietary benefits in those survived from a heart attack.   

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Plant diets are definitely good for restoring the hearts. A study by Cleveland clinic  found that a plant-based diet in conjunction with cholesterol-reducing medication reversed heart disease in 70% of patients over a 12-year period. Vegetable oils high in linoleic acid (afflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, and cottonseed oil.), though, failed to reduce heart disease and overall mortality and seemed to be actually worse for heart health than eating butter.
Nuts - eaten several times a week in small amounts - shown a consistent 30% to 50% lower risk of myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, or cardiovascular disease, as seen from several of the largest cohort studies, including the Adventist Study, the Iowa Women’s Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study, and the Physicians’ Health Study.

The Stanford Coronary Risk Intervention Project followed 300 people with coronary artery disease for four years and found the best predictor of new coronary blockages was dietary fat intake. As fat intake rose, the number of coronary blockages rose. Those patients with the lowest intake of dietary fat (about 10% to 15%) had the greatest amount of improvement and plaque shrinkage.

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One day there could be probiotics for heart disease.

Research from Cleveland clinic proposes a new link between animal protein and coronary heart disease (CHD) that doesn’t involve cholesterol, but is mediated through "bad" for heart bacteria converting  trimethylamine to Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in the liver. The researchers followed roughly 4,000 adults for three years. At the end of the study period, those with the highest levels of TMAO had a 2.5-fold increased risk of heart attack, stroke and death.

Firmicutes Ruminococci are some of those bad bacteria, while Bacteroidales S24-7, an abundant family from Bacteroidetes, are inversely associated with TMA and TMAO levels.

And here is the last tip from Dr. Oz  - a sample diet he claims could reverse your heart disease in 28 days:
Breakfast

• Oatmeal with dried cranberries
• 4oz. of natural vegetable or fruit juice

Eating oatmeal is a great non-fat way to get your complex carbohydrates.
Morning Snack

• Non-fat granola bar
• Banana
• One cup of tea; green tea, without milk or sugar, is ideal

Lunch

• Stir-fried veggies with low-sodium teriyaki sauce and brown rice
• Green salad with edamame, chickpeas, beans and fat-free raspberry dressing, and one whole wheat roll

A lunch like this provides plenty of protein, from non-animal sources.
Dinner

• Tacos: black beans, brown rice, fat-free sour cream, fat-free cheese and salsa; corn tortillas

These tacos are low in fat and high in protein.
Night Snack

• Hummus with assorted dipping vegetables

REFERENCES

Li S, Flint A, Pai JK, Forman JP, Hu FB, Willett WC, Rexrode KM, Mukamal KJ, & Rimm EB (2014). Low carbohydrate diet from plant or animal sources and mortality among myocardial infarction survivors. Journal of the American Heart Association, 3 (5) PMID: 25246449

Li S, Flint A, Pai JK, Forman JP, Hu FB, Willett WC, Rexrode KM, Mukamal KJ, & Rimm EB (2014). Dietary fiber intake and mortality among survivors of myocardial infarction: prospective cohort study. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 348 PMID: 24782515

Flight I, Clifton P. Cereal grains and legumes in the prevention of coronary heart disease and stroke: a review of the literature. Eur J Clin Nutr2006;60:1145-59.

Rimm EB, Ascherio A, Giovannucci E, Spiegelman D, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC. Vegetable, fruit, and cereal fiber intake and risk of coronary heart disease among men. JAMA1996;275:447-51.

Smith SC et al. AHA/ACC Guidelines for Secondary Prevention for Patients With Coronary and Other Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease: Circulation. Vol. 113:2363-2372.

Halton TL, Willett WC, Liu S, Manson JE, Albert CM, Rexrode K, Hu FB. Lowcarbohydrate-

diet score and the risk of coronary heart disease in women.

N Engl J Med. 2006;355:1991–2002.

Fung TT, van Dam RM, Hankinson SE, Stampfer M, Willett WC, Hu FB. Lowcarbohydrate

diets and all-cause and cause-specific mortality: two cohort

studies. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153:289–298.

Gustenhoff P et al. Effect of fish oil on heart rate variability in survivors of myocardial infarction: a double blind randomised controlled trial. Br Med J 1996;312:677-8.

Test your genes and loose the weight?

Do Your Genes Determine Which Diet Means Weight-Loss or General Health Success?
Can nutrition be optimized with respect to your genome?

Commercial genetic tests promising to provide personalized diet recommendations (there were 6 in 2005, not counting companies developing DNA nutri-chips to pinpoint an animal’s nutrition needs) are constantly offered and withdrawn. Interest in genetic testing over the past few years was going down (click on the right figure to see google trends), but continuously published findings cause bursts of interest (click on the right figure to see XRanks by Bing) .
Clearly, genetic variations determine how we absorb, filter, metabolize, store and eliminate nutrients and how these nutrients affect processes in our body. But should we get more vitamin B if our MTR gene carries predisposition to heart disease or have extra calcium and vitamin D if our VDR gene indicates possibly weak bones?
The use of this information may be premature, the gene-vitamin linkages may not be credible, and far inferior to your family health portrait with much higher cost-to-benefit ratio than self-evaluation and self-awareness through personal health management tools.

It Isn't Just What You Eat That Can Kill You, and It Isn't Just Your DNA That Can Save You--It's How They Interact, said a 2005 newsweek article. It is also about other environmental factors, your history of interactions, and microbes you cultivated in your system that determine what food is best for you.

Lactose intolerance, for example, may be derived from genetic tests showing how effective our bodies are in producing the lactase enzyme (the LCT gene). We can determine it in a much cheaper and reliable way, however, by drinking milk and looking at the symptoms. Same about FMO3 variations and trimethylaminuria. A study of lung cancer rates in China found that people at lowest risk were genetically deficient in an enzyme that metabolizes isothiocyanates in cruciferous vegetables, but crucifers don't seem to harm those with a functional enzyme either... except those who gets get intestinal gas from eating them. But this may not be because of the genes, but due to the lack of beneficial gut bacteria.

The weight-loss industry long admitted that one specific diet isn't likely to work for everyone. How do diet programs work? Forget about the ratios of carbs, fiber and protein, the most important factor is to burn off more calories than you're taking in. Behavioral factors rather than macronutrient metabolism are the main influences on weight loss, so it's more about mindful eating versus mindless eating. And here genes come into play again. Satiety mechanisms are complex and involve multiple sensors, operating differently according to underlying genetics. that's why a carb-heavy breakfast can leave you hungry in two hours but keep your neighbor full until noon, while high-protein diet makes you fill fuller.

This week (at the American Heart Association’s Joint 50th Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention – and – Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism conference, being held March 2-5 in San Francisco, CA) Stanford University researchers reported that a genetic test can help people choose which diet works best for them. The study involved 133 overweight women, who lost more weight on a diet that matched their genes - either low-carbohydrate or low-fat. Improvements in clinical measures related to weight loss (e.g., blood triglyceride levels) paralleled the weight loss differences.

The findings are also partially based on an earlier paper, called the A to Z weight-loss study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2007 and a small (100-person) unpublished study by Interleukin Genetics.

More than 6,000 genes may be affecting our weight, including multiple genes determining our taste preferences (e.g., to bitter foods, calcium, garlic or coffee) and behavioral predispositions. Genetic testing along with protein- and metabolomic-based diagnostics would provide invaluable data for understanding ourselves. Data-mining tools for health-related factors will allow integrated and holistic analysis and help to personalize diets, fitness and medical treatments.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Low-Fat Diets Beat Low-Carb Regimen Long Term (nlm.nih.gov)
• Low-fat or low-carb? Discuss. (timesunion.com)
• Gene test claims to show what diet works best (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• More Reason to Not Count Calories (naturalbias.com)
• A Cheek Swab to Choose Your Diet Plan? (nlm.nih.gov)
• Do Your Genes Determine Which Diet Means Weight-Loss Success? (health.usnews.com)

What could make us eat healthy?

What could make us eat healthy? Better self-evaluation, self-awareness through personal health management tools, says Aurametrix.

Although the majority of Americans acknowledges importance of healthy diets, this does not always translate into behavior change. Taste, preferences acquired during childhood and adolescence, friends and family, and media have more influence on what we eat. In 1997, for example, food manufacturers spent 44.4% of their advertising budget on prepared convenience foods, confectionery and snacks, and bakery goods compared with only 2.2% on fruits, vegetables, grains and beans. Besides, busy people prefer prepackaged foods and restaurant meals, which are not the healthiest choices either.

Healthy eating index (HEI, developed by USDA) is a predictor of childhood diabetes, obesity, and mortality - it's associated with 4 of the 10 leading causes of death (coronary heart disease, certain types of cancer, stroke, and type 2 diabetes).

The quality of the American diet slightly improved since 1989 (the first year the Index was calculated), but flattened since 1996. In 1989 the average HEI score was 61.5, in 1996 and
1999-2000 it was 63.8, a 4-percent increase, but still in the “needs improvement” range. People seemed to be somewhat cutting down on fat, but were consuming even more salt. Excess salt consumption occurs throughout the world. Korean government even developed a salt sensor to help people eat healthier.

US studies of 1999-2000 showed that the two lowest mean scores were for the fruits (3.8) and milk (5.9) components of the HEI: Only 17% of the people consumed the recommended number of servings of fruit per day, and only 30% met the dietary recommendation for milk.

More recent studies on diet quality in Canada display even less optimistic results. Canadians are not eating enough servings of dark green and orange vegetables, as well as of whole fruits and whole-grain products.

Age-dependence show that people adjust their diets once they realize how much better they feel when eat healthy. What exactly is best for an individual may vary - some people can eat foods with high content of saturated fat and cholesterol diet, yet keep normal blood cholesterol.
Others may not realize what exactly they are eating that is not healthy for them.

Self-evaluation tools have been shown to be effective for developing healthy eating habits.
Aurametrix is working on tools to help you evaluate your personal health risks and benefits and make the right health choices.

Check this poll on twtpoll.com or see average age based on other votes

Bioactive Components of Food

Bioactive Components of Food

Food Component		Examples		If too little		Upper and lower limits		If too much		Links
Dietary Protein		~105 types		• allergies		7%-40% of total calories7%-40% of total calories (0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight)		• stomach upsets		• FDA daily reference values, 4-2008
		Albumin		• poor recovery from physical stress				• dehydration		• FDA recommended healthy diet
		Avidin		• difficulty sleeping				• bad breath/body odor		• Daily Values for Children
		Casein		• fatty liver				• gout		• Protein supplements for weight training
		EF-hand protein						• calcium loss		• Best proteins for muscle growth
		Tropomyosin						• damage to the liver and kidneys.		• Promax Pros and Cons
		Whey						• reduced endurance		• Rice Protein Guide
		XB15 Plant enzymes								• Spirulina Side Effects
Dietary Carbohydrate		~102 types		• nausea		40%-60% of total calories		• fatigue
		o Monosaccharides (Fructose, Glucose, Galactose)		• fatigue, dizziness				• increased hyperactivity		• Low-carb diets may hamper memory
		o Disaccharides (Lactose, Sucrose, Maltose)		• feeling frustration				• tooth decay		• Clinical Nutrition Journal article on too much carbs in diet
		o Oligosaccharides (Raffinose, Stachyose)		• light-headedness				• heart disease		• PloS Genetics article on why too much sugar decreases lifespan
		o Polysaccharides (starch, dietary fiber, mucilage)		• tiredness				• type 2 diabetes		• Dr. McDougall’s Money-Saving Medical Advice
		o Nucleotides		• gout				• yeast infections		• Fat No More by Sandra Prior
				• bad breath, odor of alcohol				• candida overgrowth
				• headache				• digestive problems
				• kidney stones				• asthma
				• ketosis (muscle wasting), blood acidosis				• osteoporosis
								• kidney disease
								• liver disease
								• obesity
								• depression
Dietary Lipid (Fat)		~103 types, examples of classes found in food:		• Hair falling out		15-35 of total calories Total fat: 65g Saturated Fat: 20g		• Coronary Heart Disease		• MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Fat
		saturated fatty acids		• Hair loosing luster and sheen				• Diabetes		• Diet Bites
		monosaturated fatty acids		• Nails becoming brittle, hard and curly				• Cancers		• NY Times article
		polyunsaturated fatty acids		• Vital organs lacking cushion				• Gallstones
		cholesterol		• Difficulties to maintain body temperature
		phospholipids
Water				• Thirst		2 qts-10 liters (2-3 liters), ~volume of excreted fluid		• blurred vision		• Too Much Water Can Kill
				• Loss of Appetite				• muscle cramps		• Water intoxication
				• Dry Skin				• confusion		• Dehydration
				• Skin Flushing				• seizures
				• Dark Colored Urine				• coma
				• Dry Mouth
				• Fatique or Weakness
				• Chills
				• Head Rushes
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Dietary Minerals		Potassium		• elevated blood pressure • cardiac arrhythmias, • muscular weakness • myalgia • muscle cramps • constipation • flaccid paralysis • hyporeflexia • tetany		3,500 mg		• malaise, • palpitations • muscle weakness • cardiac arrhythmia • sudden death.		• Low Potassium Diet Recipes
		Chloride		Sweating, tremor, anxiety, tachycardia, hunger, dizziness, reduced mental acuity, visual abnormalities, convulsions and loss of consciousness		3,400 mg		Kussmaul's breathing, weakness, intense thirst.
		Sodium		Increased risk of heart attack, Swelling of the brain		1000- 2300mg (2,400mg)		lethargy, weakness, irritability, edema, seizures, coma		• Dietary minerals
		Calcium		Off spots, rashes, tingling and parasthesia, spasms, hyperactive tendon reflexes, cardiac arrhythmias		1 gram (1.2g if 50+)		fatigue, depression, confusion, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, constipation, pancreatitis or increased urination		• Medical Encyclopedia: Poisoning
		Phosphorus		Muscle dysfunction and weakness, irritability, gross confusion, delirium, coma, worsening of infections, rhabdomyolysis, hemolytic anemia.		700 mg-1,000 mg		ectopic calcification, secondary hyperparathyroidism, and renal osteodystrophy
		Magnesium		Hypertension, cardiovascular disease, Vitamin K deficiency, depressed immunity, depression, diabetes, erectile dysfunction, increased levels of stress, insomnia, fasciculation, migraine, cancer, ADHD, asthma, Restless Leg Syndrome, and allergies		Women: 310-320 mg Men: 400-420 mg 400mg		Weakness, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, Impaired breathing, Hypotension, Hypocalcemia, Arrhythmia and Asystole		Magnesium - the stress buster
		Zinc		hair loss, skin lesions, diarrhea, wasting of body tissues. Damage of eyesight, taste, sense of smell and memory, acne. Leukonychia (white spots on the fingernails), dysmenorrhea		15 mg (30mg)		"zinc chills", Vomiting, Diarrhea, Drowsiness
		Iron		fatigue, pallor, irritability, weakness, pica, brittle or grooved nails, painful atrophy of the mucous membrane covering the tongue, the pharynx and the oesophagus, impaired immune function		18 mg		Fatigue, Weakness, Weight loss, Joint pain, Abdominal pain; Arthritis, Symptoms of Gonadal failure, Dyspnea or shortness of breath		iron overload
		Manganese		Ataxia, fainting, hearing loss, weak tendons and ligaments; skeletal deformations, delayed wound healing		2mg 2.3 mg (tolerable: 11 mg)		tremors, odd movements, a mask–like face, and body stiffness; hallucinations, confusion, and memory loss.		How much is too much?
		Copper		spasticity, severe gait abnormalities including ataxia, and a neuropathy.		900 µg		mild headaches, lightheadedness, convulsions, palsy, and insensibility
		Iodine		Fatigue, Thyroid disease, Breast, ovarian, and skin cysts, poor digestion, Dementia, Glaucoma, Parkinson's; Deafness in children of iodine defficient mothers		150 µg		burning in the mouth, throat and stomach and/or abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, dirarrhea, weak pulse, and coma
		Selenium		extreme fatigue, hyperthyroidism, mental slowing, goitre, cretinism and recurrent miscarriage		55-70 µg		hair loss , tenderness and swelling on the fingertip, garlic breath/body odor
		Molybdenum		combined enzyme deficiency, severe neurological abnormalities, dislocated ocular lenses, mental retardation, increased urinary excretion of sulfite, thiosulfate, S-sulfocysteine, taurine, hypoxanthine and xanthine, and reduced serum and urine levels of sulfate and urate		45 µg		Cough, phlegm, shortness of breath, wheeze. Rhinitis, eye irritation., acute anemia
		Cobalt		loss of appetite, emaciation, weakness, anemia		5-40 µg		Cough. Laboured breathing. Shortness of breath.Dry skin, Redness, Abdominal pain, Vomiting
		Nickel				up to 1 mg		decreased body weight, heart and liver damage, and skin irritation
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Vitamins		Betaine
		Carotene, alpha				lung cancer in smokers				• Vitamin overdose
		Carotene, beta								• Multiple vitamin overdose
		Choline				<3.5g>				• L-Carnitine Side Effects
		Cryptoxanthin, beta
		Folate, DFE, Folic acid , Vitamin B9, folacin
		Lutein, zeaxanthin
		Lycopene				unknown
		Niacin				14-16mg (20 mg tolerable)
		Pantothenic acid
		Retinol
		Riboflavin (B2)				1.1-1.3mg
		Thiamin (B1)				Women: 1.1 mg Men: 1.2 mg (<1.5>
		Vitamin A				700-900 mcg
		Vitamin B-12
		Vitamin B-6
		Vitamin Bt (L-carnitine)
		Vitamin C, ascorbic acid
		Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)		Hemorrhage
		Vitamin K (phylloquinone)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
AMINO ACIDS		Alanine								• Amino Acid Supplements
		Arginine								• Maximuscle Promax
		Asparagine
		Aspartic acid
		Cysteine
		Glutamic acid
		Glutamine
		Glycine
		Histidine
		Isoleucine
		Leucine
		Lysine
		Methionine
		Phenylalanine
		Proline
		Serine
		Threonine
		Tryptophan
		Tyrosine
		Valine
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Probiotics		10 genera, ~103 strains								• Webmd on Probiotics
		Bacteroides sp.								• Wikipedia on Probiotics
		Bifidobacterium bifidum
		Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 (Align_, could help IBS
		Bifidobacterium lactis Bb-12 (available in Yo-Plus yogurt, LiveActive cheese).								• Chronic fatigue
		Bifidobacterium lactis HN019. good for older people
		Lactobacillus sp.
		Lactobacillus acidophilus CL1285 plus Lactobicillus casei Lbc80r (available as BioK + CL1285 fermented milk, BioK + CL1285 soy milk, and capsules).
		Lactobacillus casei DN-114 001 (in DanActive products).
		Lactobacillus casei DN-114 001 (in DanActive products).
		Lactobacillus plantarum 299V (NextFoods, Ferring)
		Lactobacillus reuteri ATCC55730 (available in BioGaia Gut Health products).
		Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) (in Danimals drinkable yogurt and Culturelle capsules).
		Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) (in Danimals drinkable yogurt and Culturelle capsules).
		S. cerevisiae (S. boulardii) (Florastor powder and Lalflor capsules).
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Polyphenols		Hydrolyzable tannins (gallic acid esters of glucose and other sugars)								• Herbal Teas
Phenylpropanoids		Lignins
		Flavonoids
		Condensed tannins
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Other Bioactive Food and Drink Compounds		Allyl-S compound
		Caffeine
		Capsaicinoid
		Coumarin
		Coumestan
		Dietary Alcohol
		Dietary Ash								• Food Ash Charts
		Hydroxybenzoic Acid
		Indole
		Isothiocyanate
		Retinoid
		Tannin
		Terpane
		Theobromine
		Tocopherol
		Tocotrienol
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mirrored from Aurametrix

Aurametrix works on automatic solutions to monitor and analyze food intake, along with many other aspects of daily living.  Better solutions for a healthier world.