The link between margarine and ADHD

This post includes a synopsis of a paper published in Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids 2009 Jul;81(1):89-96 and a recipe for pork roast and cabbage.

Study title and authors:
Project DyAdd: Fatty acids in adult dyslexia, ADHD, and their comorbid combination.
Laasonen M, Hokkanen L, Leppämäki S, Tani P, Erkkilä AT.
Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 9 (Siltavuorenpenger 20), FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland. Marja.Laasonen@helsinki.fi

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19523794

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The study compared the dietary fats of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, both disorders, and healthy controls.

The results of the study showed that:
(a)  ADHD and dyslexia were not associated with saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, or omega-3 polyunsaturated fats.
(b) Those with ADHD had elevated proportions of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats as compared to those without ADHD.
(c) Dyslexia was related to a higher proportion of monounsaturated nervonic acid and a higher ratio of omega-6/omega-3 polyunsaturated fats.

List of the top 20 foods highest in Total Omega-6 polyunsaturated fat per 100-gram serving.

1 Oil, vegetable safflower, salad or cooking, linoleic, (over 70%) Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 74615mg
2 Oil, vegetable, grapeseed Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 69591mg
3 Oil, vegetable, sunflower, linoleic, (approx. 65%) Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 65702mg
4 Oil, vegetable, poppyseed Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 62391mg
5 USDA Commodity Food, oil, vegetable, low saturated fat Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 57724mg
6 Oil, wheat germ Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 54797mg
7 Oil, vegetable, corn, industrial and retail, all purpose salad or cooking Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 53510mg
8 Oil, vegetable, walnut Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 52894mg
9 Salad dressing, mayonnaise, soybean and safflower oil, with salt Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 52002mg
10 Oil, vegetable, cottonseed, salad or cooking Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 51503mg
11 Oil, vegetable, industrial, soy, refined, for woks and light frying Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 51288mg
12 Oil, vegetable, tomatoseed Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 50796mg
13 Oil, soybean, salad or cooking Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 50422mg
14 USDA Commodity Food, oil, vegetable, soybean, refined Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 50293mg
15 Oil, cooking and salad, ENOVA, 80% diglycerides Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 45937mg
16 Oil, soybean, salad or cooking, (hydrogenated) and cottonseed Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 45307mg
17 Oil, sesame, salad or cooking Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 41304mg
18 Oil, vegetable, industrial, soy (partially hydrogenated ) and soy (winterized), pourable clear fry Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 40947mg
19 Mayonnaise dressing, no cholesterol Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 40567mg
20 USDA Commodity Food, shortening, type III, creamy liquid, soybean and soybean (partially hydrogenated) Total Omega-6 fatty acids: 40204mg

Most of the top 20 omega-6 foods are vegetable oils such as soy, sunflower and safflower which are extensively used in the manufacture of margarine. See here.

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Recipe of the day

Pork Roast & Cabbage

Ingredients:

Food Mall: Pork Roast

2 cups of cooked pork roast, chopped
1/2 head of cabbage

2 large onions, chopped
juice of 1 fresh lemon
1/3 cup of tomato juice
pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions:
Saute cabbage, pork and onions in olive oil.

Add lemon juice, tomato juice and seasonings and cook covered until vegetables are tender.

The rise in margarine consumption is followed a couple of decades later by a dramatic rise in heart disease deaths

This post features an article by Barry Groves on dietary fat patterns and a recipe for veal shanks with spring vegetables.

Dietary fat patterns
Article by Barry Groves

Accessed from: http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/cholesterol_myth_2.html

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The total amount of fats in our diet today, according to the MAFF National Food Survey, is almost the same as it was at the beginning of this century. What has changed, to some extent, is the types of fats eaten. At the turn of the century we ate mainly animal fats that are largely saturated and monounsaturated. Now we are tending to eat more polyunsaturated fats - it's what we are advised to do.

It is interesting to compare the growth of heart disease in this country with intakes of different fats. The next graph illustrates the birth of coronary heart disease (CHD) in Britain together with the intake of animal fat since the beginning of the century. When compared with the CHD curve, it is clear that there is no obvious relationship

If we plot CHD together with intakes of margarines and vegetable shortenings, however, we find a different curve.

Margarine use began around the turn of the century. Butter was expensive. The poor bought margarine as a substitute for butter and sales were brisk. The rapid rise in margarine consumption was followed a couple of decades later by that dramatic rise in heart disease deaths.

If there is a causal relationship between fat intake and heart disease, these two graphs suggest to me that it is the margarines that are the more likely candidates for suspicion.

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Recipe of the day

Veal Shanks with Spring Vegetables

Ingredients:

4 veal shanks (8 to 10 ounces each)

Food Mall: Veal

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 shallots, sliced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 pound mushrooms, mixed variety, halved (or sliced, if large)
1 bunch thin asparagus, woody stems discarded, spears cut into 2-inch pieces
Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Method:
Sprinkle veal all over with pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add veal and cook, turning once, until browned, about 8 minutes. Remove veal. Add shallots and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add broth and return veal to the pan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until veal is very tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil over high heat. Add mushrooms and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside.

When tender, remove veal from the pot, place on a platter, cover and keep warm. Raise heat to high and boil the liquid in the pot until reduced to about 1 1/2 cups. Add asparagus and peas and cook just until asparagus is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms to pot and heat through. Stir in lemon juice to taste (you may not need it all) and ladle sauce and vegetables over veal. Sprinkle with lemon zest and serve.

Veal Shanks with Spring Vegetables

Margarine intake increases the risk of heart disease

This post includes a synopsis of a paper published in Epidemiology 1997 Mar;8(2):144-9

Study title and authors:
Margarine intake and subsequent coronary heart disease in men

Books:

Gillman MW, Cupples LA, Gagnon D, Millen BE, Ellison RC, Castelli WP.

Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.jstor.org/pss/3702499

The study compared margarine and butter consumption on 832 men age 45-64 years and free of heart disease, with over 21 years of follow-up.

The study found that:
(a) For each increment of 1 teaspoon per day of margarine there was a 10% increase of heart disease over 21 years.
(b) Butter intake did not predict heart disease incidence.

Gillman concluded that the study offered support to the hypothesis that margarine intake increases the risk of coronary heart disease.

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Margarine increases the risk of heart disease

This post contains a synopsis on a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Vol 53, 655-659 and a recipe for rosemary chicken.

Study title and authors:
Lowering of HDL2-cholesterol and lipoprotein A-I particle levels by increasing the ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids
F Fumeron, L Brigant, HJ Parra, JM Bard, JC Fruchart and M Apfelbaum
INSERM U286, Faculte X Bichat, Paris, France.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ajcn.org/content/53/3/655.full.pdf+html
 
Fumeron notes that the protective role of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) against heart disease has been attributed to a high densities of the subfractions HDL2 and apolipoprotein A-I (LpA-I).

Books:

The study investigated the effect of a high ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids on these subfractions in a group of young adult males. Two diets were consumed at the subjects' homes for 3 weeks each.
The diets were:
(i) 70 g butter (LOW polyunsaturated fat/saturated fat ratio) HIGH saturated fat diet.
(ii) 70 g sunflower margarine (HIGH polyunsaturated fat/saturated fat ratio) High polyunsaturated fat diet.

Significant decreases in the protective subfractions of HDL, HDL2, and LpA- I were observed in the margarine, HIGH polyunsaturated fat diet compared to the HIGH saturated fat diet.

The study reveals that the high polyunsaturated fat diet (margarine) diminishes the two highly protective HDL cholesterol subfractions, HDL2 and LpA-1, which could be detrimental and increase the risk of heart disease.

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Recipe of the day

Rosemary Chicken

Food Mall: Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken

• 1 bunch of rosemary

• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 whole onion
• 1 t kosher salt
• olive oil

Instructions:
After proper cleansing, rub chicken with olive oil inside and out.

Place rosemary inside chicken cavity with a whole peeled onion.

Crush or squeeze garlic and rub over chicken or place slices under skin of breast.

Sprinkle with salt and place in roasting pan. Cook at 300 F for 3 hours.

Margarine, cookies [biscuits], cake, and white bread are significantly associated with higher risks of heart disease

This post includes a summary of a study published in the Lancet 1993 Mar 6;341(8845):581-5 and a recipe for cabbage roast.

Books:

Study title and authors:

Intake of trans fatty acids and risk of coronary heart disease among women.
Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Colditz GA, Speizer FE, Rosner BA, Sampson LA, Hennekens CH.
Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8094827
 
Willett concluded that margarine, cookies [biscuits], cake, and white bread (processed or high sugar foods) were each significantly associated with higher risks of heart disease.

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Recipe of the day

Cabbage Roast

Food Mall: Beef Chuck Pot Roast

Ingredients:

1 beef chuck pot roast

1 yellow onion, sliced
10 garlic cloves
1 head green cabbage, sliced
6-7 thyme branches
1 cup chicken broth
Sea salt and black pepper

Instructions:
Sprinkle the pot roast all over with salt and pepper and sear in a skillet on all sides until brown (about 4 minutes per side). While the roast is searing, cut up the onion and place in the bottom of the slow cooker along with whole garlic cloves. Slice up an entire head of green cabbage and set aside. Once the roast has seared, place on top of the onions and garlic in the slow cooker, put the thyme branches on top of the roast, cover the roast with the cabbage, and add the chicken stock. Cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat is falling apart.

Cabbage Roast

Margarine increases the risk of heart disease

Books:

This post contains a summary of a paper published in Epidemiology 1997;8(2):144-149 and a recipe for grilled pork chops with chimichurri.

Study title and authors:

Margarine Intake and Subsequent Coronary Heart Disease in Men

Matthew W. Gillman, L. Adrienne Cupples, David Gagnon, Barbara E. Millen, R. Curtis Ellison and William P. Castelli © 1997 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.jstor.org/pss/3702499
 
The study found that butter consumption had no effect on heart disease, but that margarine consumption increased the risk of heart disease.

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Recipe of the day

Grilled Pork Chops with Chimichurri

Ingredients:
 
For the Chimichurri Sauce:

1 cup packed flat-leaf parsley leaves

Food Mall: Pork Chops

1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons chopped white onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

For the Pork Chops:
4 thick-cut (1 1/2-inch-thick) bone-in pork chops (14 to 16 ounces each)
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

Method:
For the chimichurri sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor with 1 tablespoon water. Process until blended; set aside.

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for medium-heat cooking, leaving one area of the grill cool (this will be a place to transfer the chops if they flare up). Brush chops all over with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once or twice, until just cooked through, about 15 minutes. Watch the chops carefully, and move them to the cool area of the grill if they flare up or brown too quickly. Let rest 5 minutes; serve with the chimichurri on the side.

Grilled Pork Chops with Chimichurri

Ingredients in margarine

This post features a list of the ingredients in margarine and a recipe for scallops and bacon.

A list of the ingredients in margarine:

Edible oils,

Books:

edible fats,

salt or potassium chloride,

ascorbyl palmitate,

butylated hydroxyanisole,

phospholipids,

tert-butylhydroquinone,

mono- and di-glycerides of fat-forming fatty acids,

disodium guanylate,

diacetyltartaric and fatty acid esters of glycerol,

Propyl, octyl or dodecyl gallate (or mixtures thereof),

tocopherols,

propylene glycol mono- and di-esters,

sucrose esters of fatty acids,

curcumin,

annatto extracts,

tartaric acid,

3,5,trimethylhexanal,

ß-apo-carotenoic acid methyl or ethyl ester,

skim milk powder,

xanthophylls,

canthaxanthin

Did you realise how many chemicals you are injesting when eating margarine?

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Recipe of the day

Scallops and Bacon

Ingredients:

Food Mall: Fresh Sea Scallops

■1 oz. uncured, nitrate-free bacon

■5 fresh sea scallops

■1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
■Salt (to taste)
■Pepper (to taste)
■2 tablespoons lime juice
■1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Instructions:
Slice bacon crosswise into thin pieces, cooking on a medium-high skillet until crisp but not dry. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel or dish.

In a small bowl, add 1 tbsp olive oil and a few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Coat scallops in the oil, adding salt and pepper to taste. Sear scallops on skillet over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes until opaque and glossy. Transfer to a separate plate.

Over medium heat (in the same skillet), add a few squeezes of fresh lime juice and begin to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add 2 tablespoons of water and tarragon to the skillet, then bacon, followed by the scallops. Give the skillet a nice little swirl to blend juices. Cook 30 seconds to 1 minute to allow flavors to combine.

Serve the scallops on plates with bacon and a sprig of leftover fresh tarragon.