Latest news with #FengleiWang
The Independent
2 days ago
- Health
- The Independent
Eating more of these plant-based foods could lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes
Eating more nuts, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains may help to reduce your risk of contracting deadly heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Researchers said this week that people who consumed more phytosterols — a natural compound found in plant foods — significantly delayed both of the conditions. Furthermore, eating more of them was linked to reduced inflammation, markers of better insulin regulation, and differences in the gut microbiome that may contribute to healthy metabolism. The study was not designed to confirm why this is the case, but the researchers said their findings strengthen the evidence. More than 7000,000 Americans die from heart disease and some 101,000 die from diabetes. 'Our findings support the dietary recommendation of adhering to healthy plant-based dietary patterns that are rich in vegetables, fruits, nuts and whole grains,' Dr. Fenglei Wang, a research associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a statement. 'These findings can help people make informed dietary choices.' Wang presented the observational findings on Tuesday at the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. Some phytosterol-rich foods include corn, almonds, broccoli, bananas, and wheat bread. Previous research had found that eating foods with phytosterols can help to improve peoples' health by lowering bad cholesterol, and may reduce the risk of cancer. However, most clinical trials have used high doses of the phytosterols that were beyond what someone might get through just their own diet. The new research is the first to show the benefits as part of a normal diet. To reach these conclusions, Wang and his colleagues looked at data from more than 200,000 American adults that were a part of three studies. All of the participants were nurses or other health professionals and nearly 80 percent were women. Over the course of 36 years, more than 20,000 of them developed type 2 diabetes and nearly 16,000 developed heart disease. The participants' answers to food-frequency questionnaires allowed the researchers to estimate their individual intake of phytosterols, as well as three individual phytosterols known as β-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol. Those who ate the most consumed the most phytosterol had about four to five servings of vegetables, two to three servings of fruits, two servings of whole grains, and half a serving of nuts each day. This made them 9 percent less likely to develop heart disease and 8 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compares to those in the bottom fifth percentage for phytosterol intake, the research showed. Looking at the individual phytosterols, similar associations were observed for β-sitosterol. But, the same was not true for campesterol or stigmasterol. In addition, the researchers analyzed blood samples, looking at the products of metabolism — also known as metabolites — from more than 11,000 people and other metabolic biomarkers in blood samples from over 40,000 participants. They found that phytosterol and β-sitosterol levels were tied to favorable metabolites and metabolic markers relevant to heart disease and diabetes. That signaled a possible reason for the association. 'Our clinical biomarker and metabolomic results suggest the involvement of insulin activity, inflammation and the metabolism of metabolites associated with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,' said Wang. 'This suggests that phytosterol might reduce risk by alleviating insulin resistance and inflammation.' In a group of just 465 participants, they examined the gut microbiome, or the trillions of microscopic organisms inside the intestines. They found several microbial species and related enzymes linked to higher intake of phytosterols that may affect the production of metabolites associated with a lower risk of diseases. 'We found that the gut microbiome might play a role in the beneficial associations. Some species, such as Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, carry enzymes that could help degrade phytosterol, potentially influencing host metabolism,' Wang said.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctors discover food that prevents heart disease and diabetes... and 90% of Americans don't eat enough of it
Regularly eating a combination of fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains may reduce your risk of developing two of the most deadly chronic diseases, a study suggests. A group of American researchers discovered phytosterols, a compound found naturally in a variety of foods like nuts, seeds, grains and vegetable oils, can help improve metabolism and reduce inflammation - keeping both heart disease and type 2 diabetes at bay. However, up to 90 percent of Americans don't eat the recommended daily serving of fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains. Phytosterols are compounds similar to cholesterol and are promoted as a way to improve heart health and decrease blood levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol as they are known to absorb the fat-like substance. Now, the new study suggests high phytosterol intake can also improve insulin regulation, reduce heart inflammation and contribute to a healthy metabolism. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes globally and over 37million American adults suffer from it. The American Heart Association reports about 48 percent of Americans are living with some type of cardiovascular disease and CVD is the number one killer in the US - accounting for about one in five deaths. Dr Fenglei Wang, lead author and research associate at Harvard University, said the findings support claims that eating a healthy plant-based diet with plenty of vegetables and whole grains can be beneficial for humans. While phytosterols are found in all plant foods, the highest concentrations are found in unrefined plant oils, including vegetable, nuts and olive oils. Nuts such as almonds, pistachio and cashews; seeds such as pumpkin, sunflower and watermelon; whole grains such as oats and barley as well as legumes such as chickpeas, lentils and soybeans are also good dietary sources of phytosterols. The compound is also found in vegetables such as artichokes, broccoli, green beans, sweet potatoes and cauliflower as well as fruits such as pineapples, oranges, berries and bananas. The researchers followed over 200,000 American adults for 36 years. The participants were asked to periodically answer questionnaires on dietary intake to measure how much phytosterol-rich food they were consuming. Their answers were then evaluated using a variety of statistical models to discover their likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. During the follow-up period, the researchers noted over 20,000 study participants developed Type 2 diabetes and nearly 16,000 developed heart disease. Results showed those who consumed about five servings of vegetables, three servings of fruit, two servings of whole grains and half a serving of nuts - all of which are high in phytosterols - per day were about 10 percent less likely to develop either conditions. But nearly no American reaches these benchmarks. The researchers also analyzed metabolites - products of metabolism - and other metabolic biomarkers present in blood samples from about 40,000 people to understand the effect of phytosterols on the calorie-burning process. They discovered those who consumed phytosterols had better metabolism - which helped control insulin levels and inflammation around the heart. Dr Wang noted the results showed consuming phytosterols may reduce the risk for Type 2 diabetes by reducing insulin resistance in the body and stave off heart disease by preventing inflammation. The foods studied as part of the research are recommended as part of a healthy and well-rounded diet and have been linked to multiple health benefits also because of their antioxidants and fiber. The scientists in the most recent study, however, did not specify how they observed the benefits stemmed from the consumption of phytosterols specifically. The study was presented today at the Bioactives for Brain and Cardiometabolic Health session in Orange County, Florida and will later be published in the journal Nutrition.
