Heart disease risk factors are increased by a diet low in fat and high in carbohydrate

This post features a synopsis on a study published in Circulation 2000;102:1886 and a recipe for garlic pulled pork.

Study title and authors:
VLDL, Apolipoproteins B, CIII, and E, and Risk of Recurrent Coronary Events in the Cholesterol and Recurrent Events (CARE) Trial
Frank M. Sacks, MD; Petar Alaupovic, PhD; Lemuel A. Moye, MD, PhD; Thomas G. Cole, PhD; Bruce Sussex, MD; Meir J. Stampfer, MD, DPH; Marc A. Pfeffer, MD, PhD; Eugene Braunwald, MD
From the Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass (F.M.S., M.J.S.); the Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Mass (F.M.S., M.J.S., M.A.P., E.B.); Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City (P.A.); University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston (L.A.M.); Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Mo (T.G.C.); and Memorial University of Newfoundland, St John, Newfoundland, Canada (B.S.).

This study can be accessed at: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/short/102/16/1886

                                                                                                                                           Amazon:

Measurements of  VLDL–apolipoprotein (apo) B, VLDL cholesterol and apoCIII were compared in patients who had either a heart attack or coronary death, with those in patients who did not have a cardiovascular event in 5 years of follow-up.

All factors, when elevated, (1)VLDL–apolipoprotein (apo) B, (2)VLDL cholesterol and (3)apoC-III were associated with heart disease.

All these elevated heart disease factors are associated with a diet low in fat and high in carbohydrate.
VLDL–apolipoprotein (apo) B See here
VLDL cholesterol see here
apoC-III See here

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Recipe of the day

Garlic Pulled Pork
                                                                                                                                  Buy online:

Ingredients:                 

■1 pork shoulder cut (butt or picnic), weighing 3-4 pounds
■1-2 tablespoons kosher salt
■1/2 teaspoon cumin
■1 teaspoon of black pepper
■1-2 tablespoons of granulated garlic or garlic powder
■optional: 6 fresh garlic cloves, peeled
■The juice of one lime (or sour orange, if you can get one)
■1 onion
■1 bay leaf

Instructions:
Mix together salt, cumin, black pepper and granulated garlic.

Juice the lime over the seasonings and rub the mixture all over the pork.

If you love garlic as much as Pat does, you might want to use fresh garlic, too. Use a knife to slice six thin cuts in the pork and push each clove securely inside each cut. You don’t want the fresh garlic to fall out and touch the cooking vessel or it will burn and affect the flavor of the meat.

The meat should sit out of refrigeration a half hour before you put it in the oven. This ensures that it will cook evenly throughout. If you want to let the meat marinate in the rub longer than this, put it in the fridge for an hour or even overnight.

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the roast in a pan with one sliced onion and a bay leaf. Cover and roast for three to four hours, or until the middle of the roast reads about 190 degrees and falls apart easily when pulled with a fork.

Let the roast rest for twenty minutes or so, then uncover. You’ll notice a lot of liquid at the bottom. Use it as a sauce for the meat, which you will now viciously attack with two forks. It’ll fall apart pretty readily, and you’ll get the idea of the shredding method after a couple of pulls. Enjoy!

Low fat/high carbohydrate diets are associated with higher heart disease risk

This post includes a synopsis of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation 1999 Oct;104(8):1087-96

Study title and authors:
Effects of a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet on VLDL-triglyceride assembly, production, and clearance.
Parks EJ, Krauss RM, Christiansen MP, Neese RA, Hellerstein MK.
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10525047

Parks notes that low-fat, high-carbohydrate (LF/HC) diets commonly elevate (bad) triglyceride concentrations.

The study investigated the effects of a LF/HC diet and a control diet (higher in fat and lower in carbohydrate).

The study found that:
(a) The LF/HC diet resulted in a 60% elevation in (bad) triglyceride concentrations.
(b) The LF/HC diet resulted in a 37% reduction in very low density lipoprotein-triglyceride (VLDL-TG clearance) - which means higher levels of the (bad) VLDL-TG.
(c) The LF/HC diet resulted in a 18% reduction in whole-body fat oxidation - which means the body burns fat more slowly and makes you fatter.
(d) The LF/HC diet resulted in significant elevations in fasting apo B-48 concentrations. Apo B-48 concentrations are a marker for chylomicron remnants which are associated with heart disease.

Heart disease and stroke risk increased by high carbohydrate diets

This post includes a paper published in Zhonghua Xin Xue Guan Bing Za Zhi 2010 Oct;38(10):934-8 and a recipe for bacon and beet salad.

Study title and authors:
Relationship between serum non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and incidence of cardiovascular disease.

Books:

Ren J, Zhao D, Liu J, Wang W, Wang M, Sun JY, Liu J, Li Y, Qi Y, Qin LP, Wu ZS.

Department of Epidemiology, Beijing Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Vessel Diseases, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100029, China.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21176640

The objective of the study was to evaluate the relationship between non high density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) and heart disease and stroke in 29,937 Chinese aged 35-64 years.

The study found that non-HDL-C is associated with increased risk of suffering heart disease and stroke and that VLDL-C plays a critical role in the development.

Non- HDL-C is comprised of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and VLDL-C. High levels of both LDL-C and VLDL-C are caused by high carbohydrate diets. See here and here.

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Recipe of the day

Bacon and Beet Salad

Serves 6

Food Mall: Eggs

Ingredients:

•3 large beets;

•1 cup celery, chopped;
•4 eggs;
•2 onions, diced;
•1 bell pepper, diced;
•8 slices bacon;
•1 cup homemade mayonnaise;
•Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation:
1.Place the beets in a pot and fill with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the beets are tender.

2.Meanwhile, heat a large pan over a medium heat and cook the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes per side.

3.Pat the bacon dry and crumble it.

4.For perfect hard boiled eggs, place the eggs in a pot with cold water and gently bring to a boil. When the water boils, cover the pot, turn off the heat and let stand for exactly 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, drain the hot water and rinse with icy cold water for a minute to stop the cooking and prevent a grey ring from forming around the yolk.

5.When the eggs are cool enough the handle, peel them and chop them coarsely.

6.Drain and rinse the beets with cold water.

7.When cold enough to handle, remove the skin from the beets and cut them in cubes.

8.Place the beet cubes in a bowl, add the other ingredients and combine well.

9.Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and place in the refrigerator to chill before serving.

Bacon and Beet Salad



The link between diabetes and high carb diets

This post includes a synopsis of a study published in Diabetes / Metabolism Reviews 1987 Apr;3(2):571-89 and a recipe for grilled garlic mushrooms, tomatoes with bacon.

Study title and authors:
Very low density lipoprotein metabolism in diabetes mellitus.
Ginsberg HN.
                                                                                                                                            Books:

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3552533

Ginsberg's research finds that:
(a) Patients with diabetes have elevated levels of Very Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (VLDL-C).
(b) Elevated levels of triglycerides are nearly universal in diabetics.
(c) The most common abnormality associated with high triglyceride levels diabetes appears to be overproduction triglycerides in VLDL-C. (Caused by eating diets high in carbohydrates)
(d) There were increased rates of the VLDL-C protein, apoB. (Again high carb diets are implicated)

High levels of triglycerides are caused by high carbohydrate diets. See here and here.

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Recipe of the day

Grilled Garlic Mushrooms, Tomatoes with Bacon

Ingredients:                                                                                                          Food Mall: Bacon

- 2cups sliced mushrooms

- 1cup diced tomatoes

- 3 rashes bacon, chopped
- 3tbs parsley, finely chopped
- 3tbs olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
-Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions:
- Pre-heat grill on medium-high heat.
- Place all ingredients in a bowl and combine well.
- Place on grill and cook, stirring occasionally for 5-8min, or until bacon has become slightly crispy and tomatoes and mushrooms have slightly shriveled. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Low fat/high carbohydrate diets lead to an increase in (bad) cholesterol

This post includes a synopsis of a study published in The Journal of Lipid Research, 51, 3324-3330 November 2010 and a recipe for a succulent bison roast.

Study title and authors:
Changes in lipoprotein(a), oxidized phospholipids, and LDL subclasses with a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet
Nastaran Faghihnia*, Sotirios Tsimikas†, Elizabeth R. Miller†, Joseph L. Witztum† and Ronald M. Krauss*,1
*Department of Atherosclerosis Research, Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, Oakland, CA
†Department of Medicine,† University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.jlr.org/content/51/11/3324.abstract
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The study compared the effects of 2 diets on different types of cholesterol in 63 healthy subjects over a 4 week period.

The diets were:
(i) 20% fat, 65% carbohydrate, 15% protein (low-fat, high carbohydrate diet).
(ii) 40% fat, 45% carbohydrate, 15% protein (high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet).

The study found that:
(a) The (bad) Lp(a) levels increased by 11.8% on the low fat/high carbohydrate diet compared to the highfat/low carbohydrate diet.
(b) The (bad) apolipoprotein (apo)B levels increased by 5.6% on the low fat/high carbohydrate diet compared to the highfat/low carbohydrate diet.
(c) LDL cholesterol particle size decreased to a (bad) smaller size on the low fat/high carbohydrate diet compared to the highfat/low carbohydrate diet.
(d) The total number of (bad) very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles increased by 24% on the low fat/high carbohydrate diet compared to the highfat/low carbohydrate diet.
(e) The (bad) triglyceride levels increased by 23% on the low fat/high carbohydrate diet compared to the highfat/low carbohydrate diet.
(f) The (good) high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were 11% lower on the low fat/high carbohydrate diet compared to the highfat/low carbohydrate diet.
(g) The (good) Apo A-1 levels were 5% lower on the low fat/high carbohydrate diet compared to the highfat/low carbohydrate diet.

The changes in the above cholesterol levels by the low fat/high carbohydrate diet are associated with an inreased heart disease risk. See here and here.

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Recipe of the day

Succulent Bison Roast
                                                                                                                             Food Mall: Bison
Ingredients:

■2 pounds bison tri-tip

■2 tablespoons Herbes de Provence (or other spices of your choice)

■1 teaspoon dried minced garlic (don’t use fresh or it might burn)
■1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
■2 tablespoons oil
■1 white or yellow onion, sliced
■1 each parsnip, turnip and rutabaga, cubed

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Using a knife, carefully slice most of the silver skin off the meat. The silver skin is the thin, white layer covering parts of the roast.

In a small bowl mix together Herbes de Provence, garlic, salt and oil.

Rub the entire roast with the mixture then stick a thermometer into the thickest part of the roast. In a roasting pan, surround the meat with the chopped vegetables. Lightly drizzle the vegetables with oil then put the pan, uncovered, in the oven for 15 minutes.

Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees and cook the meat for approximately 35-45 minutes more, or until the thermometer reaches 140-145 degrees. The meat in the photo, cooked rare, was taken out of the oven at 140 degrees.

Remove the meat from the oven but leave the oven on so the vegetables can continue to cook. Let the meat rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes, uncovered or very lightly covered with foil. Remove the vegetables from the oven, slice the meat thinly, and serve.