What is the relationship between nutrition and coronary heart disease?
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UnitedHealthcare answered:Your diet can play a critical role in reducing your risk of heart disease. One study found that people ages 70 to 90 who ate a heart-friendly diet rich in wholesome carbs and healthy fats (along with increased exercise) had a 65 percent to 73 percent lower rate of death from all chronic disease, including heart disease.
Foods full of unhealthy fats and sugars can cause inflammation and plaque buildup in your arteries, a ripe recipe for a heart attack or stroke. The right diet can help keep your arteries clear and work to cut your risk.
Your diet can play a critical role in reducing your risk of heart disease. One study found that people ages 70 to 90 who ate a heart-friendly diet rich in wholesome carbs and healthy fats (along with increased exercise) had a 65 percent to 73... More -
Dr. Dean Ornish answered:The relationship between nutrition and coronary heart disease has been known since the early 1900s. Since then, we have developed a much greater understanding of the mechanisms that influence how what you eat affects your heart, how dynamic these mechanisms are, and how quickly these changes may occur - for better or for worse.
It was first observed many years ago that increased intake of saturated fat and cholesterol was associated with a higher risk of heart disease. These substances raise blood levels of both total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. For example, the Seven Countries Study by Ancel Keys studied more than 12,000 men and found that their intake of saturated fat and its effects on LDL cholesterol were strongly linked with the risk of coronary heart disease. Similar findings were seen in the Framingham Heart Study, which tracked half of the people living in Framingham, Massachusetts, over a period of several decades.
The China Study, directed by T. Colin Campbell, found that the intake of animal protein and fat was much lower and the intake of fiber was higher in rural China than in the United States. As a result, average total cholesterol levels were only 127 mg/dl in China compared with over 200 in the United States. Heart disease mortality was almost seventeen times higher in men and almost six times higher in women in the United States than in China.
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The relationship between nutrition and coronary heart disease has been known since the early 1900s. Since then, we have developed a much greater understanding of the mechanisms that influence how what you eat affects your heart, how dynamic these... More -
Dr. Marco Di Buono answered:Some of the earliest observations on the link between diet and heart disease occured when Dr. Ancel Keys noted a decreased occurence of heart disease and stroke in populations that consumed what he called a Mediterranean Diet. Essentially, this consisted of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, healthy oils (like olive oil) and fish.
Dr. Keys subsequently noted that healthier diets tended to keep blood cholesterol levels lower and this appeared to be driving the lower rates of heart disease.
Large studies followed that refined our understanding of the link between diet and heart disease. These included the Framingham Heart Study and the Nurses' Health Study, both of which led to a deeper understanding of how diets were related to heart disease.
More recently, however, the INTERHeart study - which compared dietary patterns in 52 countries in relation to the risk of heart disease and stroke - reaffirmed the basic tenets of Dr. Keys early discoveries: No matter where you live, and no matter what your cultural background, consuming a diet that is high in vegetables, fruit and whole grains can lower your risk of heart disease and stroke by as much as 30% in comparison to eating a diet that is high in fat and refined starches.
The biology is now well understood and fairly straightforward. Diets high in vegetables, fruit, whole grains and healthy oils (like vegetable and fish oils) tend to keep LDL, or "bad", cholesterol levels low; they tend to keep blood pressure low; and they tend to interfere with the processes that could lead to blood clots in coronary arteries and in the brain.
Some of the earliest observations on the link between diet and heart disease occured when Dr. Ancel Keys noted a decreased occurence of heart disease and stroke in populations that consumed what he called a Mediterranean Diet. Essentially,... More
