Many of my blogs report on the power of a
healthy diet and lifestyle in mitigating disease risk. In a recent twist on
this theme of diet and health, two current studies appeared in the media this
month regarding the relatively quick and detrimental results of eating and
drinking “junk”.
Sweetened
Beverages Increased Risk Factors For Heart Disease
A recent study using the National Health and Examination Survey Data showed
a dose-related response of an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality
with added sugar. (1)
In this parallel-arm, nonrandomized, double-blinded intervention study,
researchers examined the effects of a high-fructose corn syrup beverage at
zero, low, medium, and high proportions of energy requirements in relationship to
lipid/lipoprotein risk factors and uric acid levels in adults within 2 weeks. Unfortunately,
the placebo (zero) was aspartame, which could have confounded results. Still,
the authors concluded (1-2):
Conclusions: Consuming beverages
containing 10%, 17.5%, or 25% Ereq from HFCS produced dose-dependent increases
of circulating lipid/lipoprotein risk factors for CVD and uric acid within 2
wk. These results provide mechanistic support for the epidemiologic evidence
that the risk of cardiovascular mortality is positively associated with
consumption of increasing amounts of added sugars. (1)
A recent study
also showed that diet soda is not good for the waistline (3), so you may want
to swap these sweetened liquids for plain water or herbal teas.
What
Junk Food Does To Your Body In 5 Days
Another study
looked at how a short-term change in diet impacted 12 healthy, young males’
metabolism. The study had two parts. One was to determine the effect of a high-fat diet on
skeletal muscle’s insulin sensitivity. The second part was to assess how the metabolism
responded from a fasted to fed state using a high-fat meal before and after 5
days on the high-fat diet (HFD). The authors report:
Conclusions:Our findings provide evidence for early biological adaptations to high-fat
feeding that proceed and possibly lead to insulin resistance.
(4)
Good
News for Pistachio Lovers
I can’t leave you
with all negative news without a solution!
Recent research showed
that pistachios may have beneficial effects on pathways related to pain,
inflammation, and for cardiovascular health. Healthy fats can also help
modulate blood sugar and cravings. So, maybe you can substitute a few nuts for
healthy calories when those unhealthy-fat, sugary temptations hijack your
thoughts! (5-10)
Don’t forget to check
out more health news on this month’s Top Reads for Holistic
Health on my homepage.
Sources:
1. Kimber Stanhope
et al. A dose-response study of consuming high-fructose corn syrup-sweetened
beverages on lipid/lipoprotein risk factors for cardiovascular disease in young
adults. Am J Clin Nutr, April 2015
DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.114.100461
2. University of
California – Davis. Just two weeks of drinking sugary drinks boost risk factors
for heart disease, study suggests. ScienceDaily, 22 April 2015.
3. Diet Soda
Linked to Increased Belly Fat in Older Adults. Livescience. March 17, 2015. http://www.livescience.com/50157-diet-soda-increased-waist.html
4. Early skeletal
muscle adaptations to short-term high-fat diet in humans before changes in
insulin sensitivity. Obesity. 2015;23: 720-724. doi: 10.1002/oby.21031
(5)Pistachio:
Potent Medicine for Heart and Airway. Green Med Info. April 8, 2015.
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/pistachio-potent-medicine-heart-and-airway?page=2
(6) Abdur Rauf, Muhammad Saleem, Ghias Uddin,
et al. Phosphodiesterase-1 Inhibitory Activity of Two Flavonoids Isolated from
Pistacia integerrima J. L. Stewart Galls.Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
vol. 2015, Article ID 506564, 6 pages, 2015. doi:10.1155/2015/506564
(7) Rauf A, Uddin G, Siddiqui BS, Khan A, Khan
H, Arfan M, Muhammad N, Wadood A. In-vivo antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory
and antipyretic activity of pistagremic acid isolated from Pistacia integerrima.
Phytomedicine. 2014 Oct
15;21(12):1509-15. doi: 10.1016/j.phymed.2014.07.015.
(9) Shirole RL, Shirole NL, Kshatriya AA,
Kulkarni R, Saraf MN. Investigation into the mechanism of action of essential
oil of Pistacia integerrima for its antiasthmatic activity. J Ethnopharmacol. 2014 May
14;153(3):541-51. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2014.02.009.
(10) Kasliwal RR, Bansal M, Mehrotra R, Yeptho
KP, Trehan N. Effect of pistachio nut consumption on endothelial function and
arterial stiffness. Nutrition. 2015
May;31(5):678-85. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2014.10.019.