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A new study suggests that swapping out a small amount of carbohydrates in an already heart-healthy diet for either protein-rich foods or unsaturated fats may provide additional benefits in lowering heart disease risk.

Reducing Heart Risk

The protein-rich diet reduced heart disease risk by 21%, and the monounsaturated-fat-rich diet reduced it by almost 20%, compared with the 16% reduction found with the carbohydrate-rich diet.

“Our study provides strong evidence that replacing some carbohydrate with either protein or monounsaturated fat has important health benefits,” says Appel. “There is already agreement that reducing saturated fat lowers risk for heart disease, but the question of which macronutrient [fat, protein, or carbohydrate] to emphasize has been controversial.”

Trade in a Few Carbs for Heart Benefits

In the high-protein diet, researchers replaced approximately 10% of the total daily calories from carbohydrates with protein. About 50% of the protein came from plant sources, such as beans, nuts, seeds, and some grains. The unsaturated fat diet was enriched with monounsaturated fats and included olive and canola oils, as well as some nuts and seeds.

In the study, which appears in The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers compared the effects of the three diets in 164 adults who either had high blood pressure or were on the verge of having it.

Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Changes

Researchers found that blood pressure and cholesterol levels improved after each diet phase compared with the start of the study. But the benefits achieved with the protein-rich and monounsaturated-fat-rich diets were greater than with the DASH-based diet alone.

In an editorial that accompanies the study, Myron H. Weinberger, MD, of Indiana University Medical Center, says the results of this study may be difficult to apply to the public. He says the people in this study were highly motivated to follow the diets because of their blood pressure status and the fact that all of the foods were provided to them.
“Although the benefit of blood pressure reduction in those in the prehypertensive group is clear,” Weinberger says the ability to control high blood pressure adequately in the people with existing hypertension is not clear. “It is likely that more than diet will be required to reach goal blood pressures for the majority of these individuals.”

By Jennifer Warner, WebMD Medical News

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New research shows how a fat found in fish such as salmon, mackerel, and herring might help fight Alzheimer’s disease. The fat is called DHA. That’s short for docosahexaenoic acid. Technically, it’s an omega-3 fatty acid.

Fat to the Rescue
Scientists don’t know exactly what triggers Alzheimer’s disease to develop. However, they’ve noticed clumps of amyloidal protein and bundles of tangles (twisted fibers) in brains of people who suffer with the condition.

It’s unclear whether plaques or tangles cause Alzheimer’s disease or whether these are a byproduct of some other process that causes the condition.

DHA may help put the brakes on beta-amyloid proteins and rev up NPD1, write Bazan and colleagues. NPD1 acts like a bodyguard for brain cells, blocking the disease’s attempts to make brain cells die, the study shows.

Fish as Brain Food
Bazan’s study was done in a lab. They didn’t serve anyone fish for supper every night or dole out fish oil capsules. The researchers also don’t recommend any particular dose of DHA for Alzheimer’s disease. But they note that DHA is essential for the brain.

Past studies have shown that people who eat a lot of fish tend to be less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than those who hardly ever eat fish. For instance, a study published in 2003 showed that elderly Chicagoans who reported eating fish once a week for four years developed Alzheimer’s less often than those who rarely or never ate fish.never ate fish.

That doesn’t prove that fish prevents Alzheimer’s, but the pattern is getting lots of attention. DHA has also been found to be important for babies’ brain development. Fish oil capsules are another option.

In December 2004, consumerlab.com reported that its tests found no mercury or other toxins called PCBs in 41 fish oil supplements. Discuss any supplements you take with your doctor.

By Miranda Hitti, WebMD Medical News, September 2005

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Whether you’re seriously depressed or simply in a bad mood, eating salmon and other foods high in omega-3 fatty acids just might help you feel better. Earlier studies appear to link low blood levels of omega-3s to a host of serious psychological conditions, including major depression, bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder, and even schizophrenia.

Now new research suggests that omega-3s can have a significant impact on everyone’s mental health.

Fish and Flaxseed

The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fatty fish each week, based on strong evidence that the omega-3 fats found in the fish help protect against cardiovascular disease.

The evidence that omega-3 levels also have an impact on mood disorders is less conclusive but growing, says a researcher who conducted some of the first psychological studies examining the fats. Two types of omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel - eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA. A third omega-3, alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, is found in plant foods such as flaxseed, soybean oil, walnuts, and canola oil.

Impact of Omega-3 Fats

In the new study involving 106 healthy people without major depression or any other diagnosed mood disorder, those who had low blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids scored worse than those with high levels on tests designed to assess mood, personality, and impulsive behavior.

People in the study with low blood levels of EPA and DHA were more likely than others to report experiencing symptoms of mild to moderate depression, Conklin adds. “Clearly, larger studies are needed to understand the relationship between behavior and these fats,” she tells WebMD. “But by following the AHA recommendations to eat two fish meals a week people may be protecting both their hearts and their mental health.”

Most People Don’t Get Enough

Harvard psychiatry professor Andrew L. Stoll, MD, who wrote the book The Omega-3 Connection, says most Americans find it difficult to get enough omega-3 fatty acids through the foods they eat alone. He points out that the typical Japanese diet contains as much as 10 times the omega-3 fats as the typical American diet.

He recommends that adults take high-quality fish oil capsules to boost their omega-3 levels, and cut down on their consumption of foods containing omega-6 fats such as foods fried in corn, peanut, and soybean oils. “It is just hard to get enough omega-3s in this country,” he says. “In Japan it is just part of the culture to eat omega-3-rich foods, but that isn’t the case here.”

By Salynn Boyle, WebMD, March 2006

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