Effective Foods

Last Updated: Mon Nov 7 12:33:46 PST 2011

I recently had my cholesterol checked and it was higher that what is considered good. I started thinking about what supplements and foods may be effective both in preventing as well as reversing atherosclerosis. So I decided to do a little bit of research and see if there are any foods or supplements I can add to my regular diet. In the process I found out cholesterol may not be the primary contributor to atherosclerosis that I thought it was.

Research Summary

The papers I reference below point to the diet that most recommend, but for interesting reasons. Some research suggests lack of proper vitamin support prevents the body from fixing the cardiovascular system, specifically the blood vessels. There is some other research, although in it's early stages, that suggest inflammation is large contributing factor blood vessel damage.

There also seems to be quite a bit on interest in testing for C-reactive protein because elevated levels are associated with an 8 fold increase in cardiovascular mortality.

Current recommended heart healthy nutrients and reasons are:

soluble fiber, which reduces your low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the "bad" cholesterol
omega-3 fatty acids, which can reduce your blood pressure and risk of developing blood clots
polyunsaturated fatty acids help keep blood vessels healthy
antioxidants that can lower your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol but leave your "good" (HDL) cholesterol untouched
sterols or stanols, substances found in plants that help block the absorption of cholesterol

The vitamins and nutrients used in the Rath and Niedzwiecki study were:

Vitamins: C 2700 mg, E(d-Alpha-Tocopherol) 600 IU, A(Beta-Carotene) 7,500 IU, B-1(Thiamine) 30 mg, B-2(Riboflavin) 30 mg, B-3(Niacin/Niacinamide) 195 mg, B-5(Pantothenate) 180 mg, B-6(Pyridoxine) 45 mg, B-12(Cyanocobalamin) 90 mcg, and D(Cholecalciferol) 600 IU.
Minerals: Calcium 150 mg, Magnesium 180 mg, Potassium 90 mg, Phosphate 60 mg, Zinc 30 mg, Manganese 6 mg, Copper 1500 mcg, Selenium 90 mcg, Chromium 45 mcg, and Molybdenum 18 mcg.
Amino acids: L-Proline 450 mg, L-Lysine 450 mg, L-Carnitine 150 mg, L-Arginine 150 mg, L-Cysteine 150 mg.
Coenzymes and other nutrients: Folic Acid 390 mcg, Biotin 300 mcg, Inositol 150 mg, Coenzyme Q-10 30 mg, Pycnogenol 30 mg, and Citrus Bioflavonoids 450 mg

Foods

Something I hear quite a bit and agree with eat unprocessed foods as much as possible. Some take this to the extreme and eat only raw foods. I cannot, but a simple way to minimize processing is to cook without burning. Stewing, sweating, blanching, baking are all good ways to minimize processing. Carmelization and searing can add quite a bit of flavor and texture, but it also processes the food more than the others. Processing also include chemical manipulation such as the addition of preservatives. The rule of thumb I use is the more processed the food, the less you should consume of it.

Note: You'll notice some foods will include cooking method. I dislike boiling as a cooking method because draining the water often removes nutrients. I prefer steaming and stews, however nutritional info is not available via that cooking method (that I know of)

Vitamin C: Peppers (up to 100mg/50g), stewed Scotch Kale (up to 26mg/50g), Guava (up to 114mg/50g), Black Currants (up to 90mg/50g), and Kiwis (up to 46mg/50g). BUT wait, what about citrus fruit? Turns out much of the vitamin C is in the peel. Even then, a lemon with peel is only about 38mg/50g; and of all citrus fruits it has the highest concentration.
Vitamin E: Sunflower Seeds (up to 0.5mg/50g)
Beta Carotene: baked Sweet Potato (up to 5754mcg/50g), boiled Kale (up to 4411mcg/50g), boiled Carrots (up to 3960mcg/50g)
Thiamine: Flaxseed(up to 0.8mg/50g), Sunflower Seed(up to 0.7mg/50g), Pine Nut(up to 0.7mg/50g), Sesame Seeds(up to 0.7mg/50g). Also available via many enriched foods.
Riboflavin: braised Lamb Liver (up to 2mg/50g), dried Pasilla Pepper(up to 2mg/50g), braised Beef Liver(up to 2mg/50g). Also available via many enriched foods.
Niacin/Niacinamide: Peanuts(up to 8mg/50g), Tuna(up to 7mg/50g), dried Shitake Mushrooms(up to 6mg/50g), Sunflower Seeds(up to 4mg/50g), dried Pasilla Pepper(up to 3mg/50g),
B-5(Pantothenate) 180 mg, B-6(Pyridoxine) 45 mg, B-12(Cyanocobalamin) 90 mcg, and D(Cholecalciferol) 600 IU
Polyunsaturated fatty acids are good for blood vessel health. The best being omega-3 fatty acids which also reduces blood pressure is generally seen as must have in anti-inflammatory diets. Food sources are fish, flax seed, canola oil and walnuts.
Polyphenols have also been found to be beneficial to cardiovascular health. Resveratrol is also of particular interest for anti-inflammatory and anti-atherogenic properties. Both are found in grapes (and red wine).
Avoid trans-fats, specifically synthetic ones like any hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Curcuma, found in tumeric, is popular as an anti-inflammatory. There are quite a few studies backing up it's benefits, unfortunately they are mostly animal studies.
Vitamin C and bioflavanoids are readily available in peppers and citrus fruits.
Leafy dark green vegetables like spinach, chard and kale all contain a great mix of nutrients and vitamins referenced in the papers below.

Supplements

Vitamin E is questionable. There is a recent study linking vitamin E supplementation with prostate cancer.
There is a few papers (and books) about the importance of a particular mix of vitamins and other supplements. Chief among them seem to be vitamin C and bioflavanoids. You can read more here.
Resveratrol is commonly available in supplement form.
Chondroitin and glucosamine are not readily available in most foods (unless you like eating the shells of shellfish or bonemeal). They are a good candidate for supplementation.

References

Effective Foods

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Atherosclerosis