In a study at The Heart Research Institute in Sydney, Australia,titled “Consumption of Saturated Fat Impairs the Anti-Inflammatory Properties of High-Density Lipoproteins and Endothelial Function” (Abstract), researchers led by Dr. Stephen Nicholls have discovered that eating just one meal high in saturated fat can quickly prevent “good” cholesterol from protecting the body against clogged arteries.

The good news, however, is that the opposite is also true: A single meal with heart-healthy poly-unsaturated fat (olive oil!) helps to protect arteries from plaque buildup.

In the study, 14 people, ages 18-40, ate two meals of carrot cake and a milkshake one month apart. One meal was high in saturated fat - using coconut oil - and the other was high in polyunsaturated fat - using safflower oil.

The researchers found that three hours after eating the saturated fat meal, the endothelium, or inner lining of blood vessels, in study participants showed reduced ability to expand and increase blood flow and after six hours the good cholesterol (HDL) ’s protective ability to prevent inflammation was also impaired.

The results are pretty straightforward, especially considering the fact that they used everyday foods we are faced with all the time.

Dr. James O’Keefe, a cardiologist at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, said Nicholls’ study shows “a really important concept - when you eat the wrong types of food, inflammation and damage to the vessels happens immediately afterward.”

-Via Washington Post

This study only reinforces our understanding that the food choices we make directly affect our body. Whenever I see research like this, I am reminded of the movie, “The Matrix”: “It’s all about choice, Neo”. Now we can either take the blue pill, the story ends and we go back to our old ways of eating. Or we can take the red pill and discover the truth about nutrition for ourselves. So what is it going to be, the blue pill or the red pill?

“Remember, all I am offering is the truth. Nothing more.”

Technorati Tags: health, fitness, nutrition, saturated fat, arteries, heart health

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Recently chocolate has been getting a lot of publicity. “Rich in anti-oxidants!” and “Flavonols” are some of the keywords you might hear whenever chocolate is presented in a healthy light on TV or radio. Here is another feather in its cap.

A study published in the Journal of Hypertension, titled “Aging and vascular responses to flavanol-rich cocoa” (Abstract) suggests that adults who drank a specially processed cocoa beverage rich in flavonols for four to six days improved their blood vessel function, and older adults appeared to benefit the most. The study was based on 15 healthy adults under age 50 and 19 healthy adults over 50 who drank a specially made flavonol-rich cocoa every day for four to six days.

“Aging is typically associated with deterioration in vessel health, specifically related to function of the critical inner lining, or endothelium,” says researcher Naomi Fisher, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, in a news release. “Our findings demonstrate that consumption of this flavonol-rich cocoa can improve the function of blood vessels in a healthy elderly population.”

But as always remember that you should consider your primary goals first - if it is to lose weight, then be aware of the calorific payload of anything you eat. Chocolates for example don’t have the best payload profile, but in small quantities may be beneficial.

The article concludes:

But before you reach for that chocolate bar, experts say the flavonol-rich cocoa products used in these studies should not be confused with commercially available snacks that contain many calories but are low in natural cocoa and flavonols.

-Via WebMD

Want to try the same thing done in the study? The cocoa beverage was made with Mars Cocoapro, which is a process that helps retain the flavonols naturally found in cocoa beans. Mars Inc. provided the cocoa beverage and also provided partial funding for the study.

Technorati Tags: health, fitness, chocolate, blood vessel

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