Diet
Home Up Cholesterol Vitamins, etc. Diet Fish

 

Diet is undoubtedly the most important factor in preventing heart disease other than not smoking tobacco.  Eat whole grains, plenty of fruits and vegetables, nuts, potassium, olive or canola oil, fish, beans or peas, and consume up to one alcoholic drink per day but never more than one drink.  Avoid mammal meat, salt, butter, cheese, whole milk, eggs, transfats, sugar, regular sodas, and refined flour.  Of course, daily exercise is very healthy.  Research on coffee tends to be favorable, but varies by studies.

Mediterraen Diet Helps: Annals of Internal Medicine. 9/00. Randomly divided 605 heart-attack survivors into two groups. One group worked with their own doctors to improve their health habits and followed a regimen close to the AHA Step One diet. That meant limiting fat to no more than 30 percent of their caloric intake and equally dividing the fat among saturated (animal fat, for the most part), monounsaturated (olive oils, for example) and polyunsaturated (corn oil, for example).

The other group was invited to eat the way people traditionally have in Italy, North Africa and other countries ringing the Mediterranean. For them, the emphasis was less on cutting fat and more on choosing specific foods. They ate lots of fruits, vegetables, grains and fish. Wine and meat were allowed in moderation. Butter and cream were forbidden; instead, they used olive and canola oils. During the next four years, the differences in the two groups were striking. In the group dining á la Mediterranean, 14 died. The death toll in the AHA group was 24. The Mediterranean food eaters had less than half as many cancers and one-third the number of heart attacks as the AHA group. The Mediterranean diet might work better for two reasons, the researchers suggest. First, people were more likely to stick to the diet. It's easier to follow a diet that invites you to eat stuffed grape leaves than one that warns you to limit your fat intake. Second, the Mediterranean dieters ate different types of fat than the AHA group did: less saturated and polyunsaturated fats, and more monounsaturated fats. The diet was particularly high in omega-3 fatty acids, a type of compound found in fish, olive oil and canola oil. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to lower heart disease and cancer rates in laboratory animals.

Mediterranean Diet Works: In a University of Athens-Harvard study published in NEJM 6/26/03 with 22,000 healthy Greeks given points for increased fruit, vegetables, cereals, wine, peas/beans, fish, and olive oil and decreased points for meat or milk for up to 9 points with 4 years of follow-up, every 2 point increase resulted in 25% fewer deaths (33% fewer heart, 24% fewer cancer).

Meat, Margarine, Poultry Bad; Vegetables, Wine, Whole Grains Good: In a small case-control study of 200 cases of coronary artery disease and 255 controls from the Coronary Risk Factors for Atherosclerosis in Women (CORA) Study, a high score for the dietary pattern of high intakes of meat, margarine, poultry, and sauce and low intakes of vegetarian dishes, wine, vegetables, and whole-grain cereals, after adjustment for known CAD risk factors, the relative risks from the lowest to the highest quintiles of the pattern score were 1.0, 1.1, 3.6, 6.2, and 12.3 (P < 0.0001). A dietary pattern derived to explain biomarker variation is strongly associated with the risk of coronary artery disease. Hoffmann K, Zyriax BC, Boeing H, Windler E. Bergholz-Rehbrucke, Germany. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Sep;80(3):633-40

Alcohol: Light Drinking Keeps Heart Arteries From Blocking Off Again: In 225 males who had balloon angioplasty, 42% of those who drank little or no alcohol needed repeat angioplasty. They had more blocked arteries, worse cholesterol levels and poorer heart function when compared to patients who drank 50 grams of alcohol per week, or about three small 6 oz. glasses of wine or four 12 oz. cans of beers per week, a week of whom only 23% needed repeat angioplasty. Feraydoon Niroomand, Heidelberg University, Reuters, London 9/13/04. Ed: This supports my rule of waiting until age 45 to start drinking and never drinking over 1 drink per day.

Apples, Pears, Wine Good, Tea Neutral: In a study of 35,000 Iowa females with 12 years of follow-up, there was a decrease in LDL cholesterol by  apples, pears, and wine, perhaps by anti-oxidants in these. Catechins are in apple and wine. The effect was strongest for those with low risk of CHD! Epid 2001:12:668

Coffee Good for the Heart: In the 9-year National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Follow-up Study of 6,600 adults, among those over age 64, the risk of heart disease was roughly 30% lower in those drinking ½ - 3 ½ cups of regular coffee per day and 53% less for those drinking 4 or more cups per day.  Tea and cola did not have the benefit.  Am J Clin Nutr 85:392, 2007.

Coffee Beneficial for Moderate Drinking In Large Finnish Study: In a 10 year follow-up of 20,179 randomly selected Finnish adults ages 30 to 59, in men, the risk of nonfatal myocardial infarction was not associated with coffee drinking. The age-adjusted association of coffee drinking was J shaped with coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality and U shaped with all-cause mortality. The highest CHD mortality was found among those who did not drink coffee at all (multivariate adjusted). Also, in women, all-cause mortality decreased by increasing coffee drinking. In men, slightly increased mortality from CHD and all causes in heavy coffee drinkers is largely explained by the effects of smoking and a high serum cholesterol level. Coffee consumption and the risk of coronary heart disease and death. Kleemola P, Jousilahti P, Pietinen P, Vartiainen E, Tuomilehto J. University of Helsinki. Arch Intern Med. 2000;160:3393-3400.

Coffee: No Association Between CHD and Death and Inverse Overall: 6,765 healthy men ages 51-59 in 7.1 years of follow-up found no association between coffee and CHD death for smokers and very weak assoc for non-smokers. However, there was an overall inverse association between coffee and death, the more coffee, the less death. Rosengren, U Goteberg, J Intern Med ’91;230:67 

Coffee: Largest Prospective Study Finds No Harm From Coffee on Heart: During 10 years of follow-up of 85,747 female nurses ages 34 to 59 without coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, or cancer, 712 developed coronary heart disease. For women drinking six or more cups of caffeine-containing coffee per day in 1980, the relative risk was 0.95 compared with non-coffee drinkers, i.e. 5% less in the heavy drinkers. Coffee consumption and coronary heart disease in women. A ten-year follow-up. Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Manson JE, Colditz GA, Rosner BA, Speizer FE, Hennekens CH. Boston. JAMA. 1996 Feb 14;275(6):458-62

Coffee Over 5 Cups Linked to Increased Heart Attacks: In a case-control study of 858 nonfatal heart attacks and 858 community controls, the risk increased with increasing number of cups per day among both drinkers of any type of coffee and drinkers of caffeine-containing coffee only: tests for trend, p = 0.002 and p = 0.0004, respectively. For consumption of caffeine-containing coffee alone, the relative risk estimates for 5-6 cups, 7-9 cups, and 10 or more cups per day relative to less than 1 cup per day were 1.4, 2.1, and 2.5. No increase was observed for fewer than 5 cups per day. The positive association with heavy coffee drinking was present among nonsmokers as well as smokers. Coffee consumption and myocardial infarction in women. Palmer JR, Rosenberg L, Rao RS, Shapiro S. Boston University. Am J Epidemiol. 1995 Apr 15;141(8):724-31. Ed: Case-control studies are inferior to prospective ones.

Coffee 5 Cups/Day Appear OK in Harvard Meta-Analysis: Eight case-control studies and 15 prospective cohort studies were analyzed. The pooled case-control odds ratio (for the effect of drinking five cups of coffee/day v none) was 1.63. The pooled cohort study relative risk (five cups/day v none) was 1.05. The discrepancy between the pooled case-control and cohort study results could not be attributed to differences in the end points chosen, period of study, or to confounding by smoking status or sex. The cohort study data suggest very little excess risk of coronary heart disease among habitual coffee drinkers. The case-control data do not rule out an increased risk of heart disease among a subgroup of people who acutely increase their coffee intake. Does coffee drinking increase the risk of coronary heart disease? Results from a meta-analysis. Kawachi I, Colditz GA, Stone CB. Harvard. Br Heart J. 1994 Sep;72(3):269-75

Coffee Better than Tea for Scottish: In a nationwide random population study of over 11,000 men and women aged 40-59 with follow-up of 7.7 years, for all cause mortality, coronary death, or any major coronary event (death, non-fatal infarction or coronary artery surgery), increasing coffee consumption was associated with beneficial effects for mortality and coronary morbidity, whereas tea showed the opposite. Multiple adjustment for other risk factors removed the associations for tea and most of those for coffee although there was a residual benefit of coffee consumption in avoiding heart disease among men. Coffee and tea consumption in the Scottish Heart Health Study follow up: conflicting relations with coronary risk factors, coronary disease, and all cause mortality. Woodward M, Tunstall-Pedoe H. University of Reading. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1999 Aug;53(8):481-7

Fruit & Vegetables Reduce CHD 15%: when comparing 90th centile of consumption to the 10th centile. Eur J Clin Nur 8/98, 52:549-56.

Grape Juice Lowers LDL Oxidation: 15 patients with CAD drank 12-16 oz purple grape juice/day for 14 days had lowered LDL oxidation lag time and flow mediated vasodilation. Folts Circ ’99;100:1050-5

Nuts Help: 21,000 male doctors participating in the U.S. Physicians' Health Study, which began in 1982, according to Reuters. The results: There was a 47 percent lower risk of sudden cardiac death among those who ate an ounce of nuts at least twice a week compared to those who did not eat nuts at all. In addition, there was a 30 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease death among those who snacked on nuts. "If the observed associations between dietary habits such as nut and fish consumption are causal, then these dietary interventions could be applied with little risk," Albert wrote. In other words, eat peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, and cashews. Harvard 6/23/02

Nuts Lower: Frank B Hu in the Harvard Nurses Health Study followed 86,000 women for 10 years. Those eating five ounces of nuts/week had 35% lower CHD vs. rare nut eaters (BMJ 11/14/98). Nonsmoking teetotalers had 50% lower CHD with nuts (are nuts replacing some of the benefit of alcohol?). Harvard 22,000 male physicians in a 12 year follow-up study also found preventive effects from eating lots of nuts. Presented at 11/98 AHA. Willett WC. Brit. Med. J. 1998; 317: 1341-1345

7th Day Adventist Nuts & Whole Wheat Help: Arch Intern Med ’92 152:1416-24 GE Fraser, Loma Linda. 31208 non-Hispanic whites =nuts four or more times RR .49 for nonfatal MI. Usually consumed whole wheat = non-fatal CHD RR .56 and fatal MI .89 vs. white bread. Beef men eating three times a week had a marked increase in heart disease death: an RR 2.31 for fatal CHD.

Nuts Good Even for Hyperlipidemic: Patients randomly assigned to low or high almond snacks or low fat whole wheat muffin control snack. The almond groups, especially the high almond snack group had reduced LDL, oxidized LDL, lipoprotein(a), and LDL:HDL. Dose response of almonds on coronary heart disease risk factors: blood lipids, oxidized low-density lipoproteins, lipoprotein(a), homocysteine, and pulmonary nitric oxide: a randomized, controlled, crossover trial. Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Marchie A, Parker TL, Connelly PW, Qian W, Haight JS, Faulkner D, Vidgen E, Lapsley KG, Spiller GA. Circulation 2002 Sep 10;106(11):1327-32

Olive Oil Good: In a study of 700 males and 148 females patients with first heart attack and 1078 population-based controls, age and sex matched, exclusive use of olive oil was associated with 47% lower likelihood of having heart attack, compared to nonuse, after adjusting for BMI, smoking, physical activity level, educational status, the presence of family history of CHD, as well as hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes. Consumption of olive oil in combination with other oils or fats was not significantly associated with lower odds of ACS compared to no olive oil consumption, although had a favorable trend (p=0.14). The impact of olive oil consumption pattern on the risk of acute coronary syndromes: The CARDIO2000 case-control study. Kontogianni MD, et al. Harokopio University, Athens, Greece. Clin Cardiol 2007 Mar;30(3):125-9.

Olive Oil Helped Stable Heart Patients: The Mediterranean diet, in which olive oil is the main source of fat, has been associated with a reduced incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) and low blood pressure levels. Virgin olive oil (VOO), besides containing monounsaturated fat, is rich in phenolic compounds (PC) with antioxidant properties. In a six week study of 40 males with stable heart disease, olive oil lowered oxidized LDL (p<0.001) and lipid peroxide levels (p=0.003), together with higher activities of glutathione peroxidase (p=0.033). Systolic blood pressure also decreased (p=0.001) in hypertensive patients. No changes were observed in diastolic blood pressure, glucose, lipids, and antibodies against oxidized LDL. Antioxidant effect of virgin olive oil in patients with stable coronary heart disease: a randomized, crossover, controlled, clinical trial. Fito M, Cladellas M, et al. Barcelona, Spain. Atherosclerosis. 2005 Jul;181(1):149-158.

Potassium Strongly Protective: A study of potassium and sodium excretion in 11,000 Scots found little association of heart disease with sodium intake but that potassium was strongly protective against death although more weakly protective against heart death or HBP. Semin Nephrol 1999 Sep;19(5):500-2

Protein, Fat, Carbs From Non-Meat Sources Good: In 82,802 women in the Nurses' Health Study, during 20 years of follow-up, there were 1994 new cases of coronary heart disease. After multivariate adjustment, the relative risk of coronary heart disease comparing highest and lowest deciles of the low-carbohydrate-diet score was 0.94 (P=0.19). The relative risk comparing highest and lowest deciles of a low-carbohydrate-diet score on the basis of the percentage of energy from carbohydrate, animal protein, and animal fat was 0.94 (P=0.52), whereas the relative risk on the basis of the percentage of energy from intake of carbohydrates, vegetable protein, and vegetable fat was 0.70 (P=0.002). A higher glycemic load was strongly associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (RR highest vs. lowest deciles, 1.90; P=0.003). Low-carbohydrate-diet score and the risk of coronary heart disease in women. Halton TL, et al.  Harvard. New Eng J Med 2006 Nov 9;355(19):1991-2002.

Salt Avoiding, Getting Exercise Prevents Heart Attacks: Australian study found RR for non-vigorous exercise 0.5 and for avoiding added salt 0.6. in case-control study of 336 AMI and 735 controls. Int J Epidemiol 1999 Oct;28(5):846-52

Salt, Not Calories Harmful for Obese in NHANES: 9400 obese and non-obese found high sodium intake is strongly and independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in overweight persons but not for non-obese. JAMA 1999 Dec 1;282(21):2027-34; While the author denies need for any sodium advice, data from 11,346 NHANES adults shows sodium intake was inversely associated with all-cause (p=0.0069) and CVD mortality (p=0.086) and sodium/calorie ratio was directly associated with all-cause (p=0.0004) and CVD mortality (p=0.0056). By contrast, calorie intake in the presence of the two measures of sodium intake was not independently associated with mortality. Lancet 1998 Mar 14;351(9105):781-5; Lancet. 1998 Sep 19;352(9132):987-8; Lancet. 1998 May 16;351; favoring restriction= Med J Aust. 1999 Feb 15;170(4):176-8

Saturated Fats Bad, Fish Very Good: Rotterdam Study showed that high intakes of the following nutrients were associated with an increased risk of dementia after adjustment for confounders: total fat (RR=2.4), saturated fat (RR=1.9), and cholesterol (RR=1.7). A high fish consumption, an important source of n-3 PUFAs, reduced the risk of dementia (RR=0.4). In the Zutphen Elderly Study a high linoleic acid intake was associated with cognitive impairment (OR=1.8). A high fish consumption tended to be inversely associated with cognitive impairment and decline (RR=0.5,). J Nutr Health Aging 2000;4(4):202-7

Soy Protein No Help for Post-Menopausal Bones, Lipids, or Mental Functioning: In a DB PC study of 202 postmenopausal women given 25.6 g of soy protein containing 99 mg of isoflavones (52 mg genistein, 41 mg daidzein, and 6 mg glycetein or total milk protein as a powder on a daily basis for 12 months, cognitive function, bone mineral density, or plasma lipids did not differ significantly between the groups after a year. Effect of soy protein containing isoflavones on cognitive function, bone mineral density, and plasma lipids in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial. Kreijkamp-Kaspers S, Kok L, Grobbee DE, de Haan EH, Aleman A, Lampe JW, van der Schouw YT. University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands. JAMA. 2004 Jul 7;292(1):65-74

Stanol Margarine Help: U Helsinki, margarines cholesterol-lowering properties in people with mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia but who consume low-fat diets containing very little dietary cholesterol (M.A. Hallikainen Eur J Clin Nutr, September 2000;54(9):715-725). [Ed: somewhat expensive]

Tea Helps: Black tea used in the Netherlands was found to decrease cardiac plaque linked to fatal heart attacks. Four cups or more per day cut severe atherosclerosis by more than two-third with two cups per cut it by half. Arch Int Med 10/11/99. 3500 in Rotterdam study in mid 60s. Effect strongest in women. Tea rich in antioxidants. 

Trans Fats Harmful in Zutphen Study: 667 elderly Dutch followed 10 years. Average trans fatty acid intake decr fr 4.3% to 1.9%. A high intake of trans fatty acids (all types of isomers) contributes to the risk of coronary heart disease. The substantial decrease in trans fatty acid intake, mainly due to industrial lowering of trans contents in Dutch edible fats, could therefore have had a large public-health impact. Lancet. 2001 Mar 10;357(9258):732-3

Whole Grains

7th Day Adventist Nuts & Whole Wheat: Arch Intern Med ’92 152:1416-24 GE Fraser, Loma Linda. 31208 non-Hispanic whites =nuts four or more times RR .49 for nonfatal MI. Usually consumed whole wheat = non-fatal CHD RR .56 and fatal MI .89 vs white bread. Beef men eating TIW = RR 2.31 for fatal CHD.

Whole Grains Help: 10 yr f/u of 75000 nurses found strong decr CHD esp in non-smokers for high whole grain intake after correcting for other factors with RR 0.49 for highest quintile. Willett, W.C. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999, Sep, v70, n3, p412-419.

Whole Grains Meta-Analysis: 12 studies reviewed showing 26% decr risk for CHD, decr LDL and TG. Also good against CA GI tract, breast, prostate. Whole wheat has anti-oxidants. Whole grain bfast cereals 2200-3500 TE(Trolox Equivalents), fruits 600-1700 (plums 2200, grapes 1700, apples 1300, banana 1100, but cantaloupe 200, melons 100, raisins 6400 (per 100 g.), berries 3700 esp high pigmented blackberries 5500, Rasp 5100, blue 3300, straw 3100, prunes 5800, concord grape juice 1500 but grapefruit-orange-apple all 400-300, vegs 450, red cabbage 1400. Raisins increase cereal TEs. Iowa Women’s Health Study found a 17% decreased mortality with whole grains. fiber brown rice 3.3, cooked oatmeal 4.0, whole grain breakfast 3.0+. All from J Amer Coll Nutr 6/2000

Whole Wheat & Rye Improve Colon Markers: Both high-fiber rye and wheat foods increased fecal output by 33-36% (P = 0.004) and reduced fecal beta-glucuronidase activity by 29% (P = 0.027). Postprandial plasma insulin was decreased by 46-49% (P = 0.0001) and postprandial plasma glucose by 16-19% (P = 0.0005). Rye foods were associated with significantly (P = 0.0001) increased plasma enterolactone (47% and 71%) and fecal butyrate (26% and 36%), relative to wheat and low-fiber options, respectively. Whole-grain rye and wheat foods and markers of bowel health in overweight middle-aged men. McIntosh GH, Noakes M, Royle PJ, Foster PR. Am J Clin Nutr 2003 Apr;77(4):967-74

High Wheat Fiber Wheat Bran Didn’t Help DM or CHD: six-month crossover study 23 DM patients with high wheat cereals 19 vs 4 g fiber/d. no differences were seen in body weight, fasting blood glucose, HbA(1c), serum lipids, apolipoproteins, blood pressure, serum uric acid, clotting factors, homocysteine, C-reactive protein, magnesium, calcium, iron, or ferritin. LDL oxidation in the test phase was higher than that seen in the control phase (12.1 +/- 5.4%, P < 0.034). Diabetes Care 2002 Sep;25(9):1522-8; Effect of wheat bran on glycemic control and risk factors for cardiovascular disease in type 2 diabetes. Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Augustin LS, Martini MC, Axelsen M, Faulkner D, Vidgen E, Parker T, Lau H, Connelly PW, Teitel J, Singer W, Vandenbroucke AC, Leiter LA, Josse RG.

Whole Grains Lower CHD: Between 1996 and 2001 an accumulation of five very large cohort studies in the USA, Finland and Norway have all reported that subjects consuming relatively large amounts of whole grain cereals have significantly lower rates of CHD. Eur J Clin Nutr 2002 Jan;56(1):1-14

Oatmeal Reduces Hypertension: Study of 18 hypertensives given oatmeal daily vs. low fiber cereal for 3 weeks found decreases in BP of 7 systolic/5 diastolic. Also 9% decreased cholesterol and 14% decreased LDL. J Fam Pract 2002 Apr;51(4):369; Oat ingestion reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients with mild or borderline hypertension: a pilot trial. Keenan JM, Pins JJ, Frazel C, Moran A, Turnquist L.

Oatmeal Did Better Than Refined Wheat for Glucose, LDL, Chol, BP: 88 hypertensive adults randomly assigned 12 weeks on whole oats or refined wheat. Glucose down 15mg. 72% able reduce hypertensive meds. U Minn. J Fam Pract 2002 Apr;51(4):353-9; Do whole-grain oat cereals reduce the need for antihypertensive medications and improve blood pressure control? Pins JJ, Geleva D, Keenan JM, Frazel C, O'Connor PJ, Cherney LM.; However, no benefit found in 36 pt random study. J Nutr 2002 Mar;132(3):394-8

Oats Better Than Whole Wheat for LDL/HDL: 36 overweight men 50-75 12 wk oatmeal or 12 wk whole wheat hot cereal or Frosted Mini-Wheats at 60 g oatmeal/day (t large servings). LDL, esp small LDL decreased for oats (17%) but increased for wheat (60%). LDL/HDL decreased 6% oats, increased 14% wheat. Oats have soluble fiber beta-glycan, wheat insoluble. Small, dense LDL more atherogenic (pattern B lipoprotein profile). Cholesterol decreased 2% oats, increased 6% wheat. triacylglycerol decreased 6% oats, increased 22% wheat. No decrease in HDL with oats. 1/16 whole grain intake is oatmeal, 55% whole grain bread, 1/8 popcorn, 1/6 other whole grain cereals. Am J Clin Nutr 2002 Aug;76(2):351-8; High-fiber oat cereal compared with whole wheat cereal consumption favorably alters LDL-cholesterol subclass and particle numbers in middle-aged and older men. Colorado State U. Davy BM, Davy KP, Ho RC, Beske SD, Davrath LR, Melby CL. Study compared oats to wheat cereal with both providing 14 g fiber/d.

Fiber May Helps: A Harvard J of Cardiology study of 38,000 female health care professionals over 45 found quartile high in fiber had less heart disease. 1/26/02

Whole Wheat, Rye, But Not Oats Lower Strokes and Heart Disease: 3,588 adults over 64 and free of heart disease completed a food frequency questionnaire. During 8.6 years mean follow-up, there were 811 incident CVD events. After adjustment for age, sex, education, diabetes, ever smoking, pack-years of smoking, daily physical activity, exercise intensity, alcohol intake, and fruit and vegetable fiber consumption, cereal fiber consumption was inversely associated with incident CVD (P =.02), with 21% lower risk (hazard ratio [HR], 0.79) in the highest quintile of intake, compared with the lowest quintile. Neither fruit fiber (P =.98) nor vegetable fiber (P =.95) were associated with incident CVD. When CVD events were separately evaluated, higher cereal fiber intake was associated with lower risk of total stroke and ischemic stroke and a trend toward lower risk of ischemic heart disease death. Dark breads such as wheat, rye, or pumpernickel were associated with a lower risk of incident CVD (HR, 0.76) rather than cereal fiber from other sources. Mozaffarian D, Kumanyika SK, Lemaitre RN, Olson JL, Burke GL, Siscovick DS. University of Washington. JAMA. 2003 Apr 2;289(13):1659-66

Whole Grain Effect Not Cholesterol Related: Between 1996 and 2001 an accumulation of five very large cohort studies in the USA, Finland and Norway have all reported that subjects consuming relatively large amounts of whole grain cereals have significantly lower rates of coronary heart disease. This confirms an earlier small British study. The protective effect does not seem to be due to cholesterol-lowering. Cereal grains and coronary heart disease. Truswell AS. University of Sydney. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002 Jan;56(1):1-14. Ed: Oatmeal lowers cholesterol a little; wheat and rye do not.

7th Day Adventist Nuts and Whole Wheat Markedly Reduce Heart Attacks: Arch Intern Med ’92 152:1416-24 GE Fraser, Loma Linda. A study of 31,208 non-Hispanic European-Americans found that those eating nuts four or more times had 51% fewer non-fatal heart attacks (a RR .49 for nonfatal MI). Those usually consuming whole wheat had 44% fewer non-fatal heart attacks (RR .56 and fatal MI .89 vs. white bread). Beef men eating three times a week had a 131% increase in death from coronary heart disease (RR 2.31 for fatal CHD).

Whole Grains Help: In a 10 year follow-up of 75,000 nurses, researchers found strong decrease coronary heart disease especially in non-smokers for high whole grain intake after correcting for other factors with an RR 0.49 for highest quintile. Willett, W.C. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1999, Sep, v70, n3, p412-419.

Whole Grains Meta-Analysis: 12 studies reviewed showing 26% decreased risk for coronary heart disease, decreased LDL and TG. Also good against cancer of the GI tract, breast, prostate. Whole wheat has anti-oxidants. Whole grain breakfast cereals 2200-3500 TE (Trolox Equivalents), fruits 600-1700 (plums 2200, grapes 1700, apples 1300, banana 1100, but cantaloupe 200, melons 100, raisins 6400 (per 100 g.), berries 3700 especially high pigmented blackberries 5500, Rasp 5100, blue 3300, straw 3100, prunes 5800, concord grape juice 1500 but grapefruit-orange-apple all 400-300, vegetables in general 450, red cabbage 1400. Raisins increased cereal TEs. Iowa Women’s Health Study 17% decreased mortality whole grains. Fiber in brown rice 3.3, cooked oatmeal 4.0, whole grain breakfast 3.0+. All from J Amer Coll Nutr 6/2000 

Whole Wheat Diet Lost More Weight: 12 week study with a puffed whole wheat product. Moderately obese women lost 10 vs. 5 pounds on control diet. Use of an expanded-whole-wheat product in the reduction of body weight and serum lipids in obese females. Fordyce-Baum MK, Langer LM, Mantero-Atienza E, Crass R, Beach RS. Am J Clin Nutr 1989 Jul;50(1):30-6

Legumes Decrease CHD, CVD: Legume consumption (which is high in soluble fiber) was significantly and inversely associated with risk of CHD (P =.002 for trend) and CVD (P =.02 for trend) after adjustment for established CVD risk factors. 9,632 adults 19 yr f/u NHEFS Study. Legume consumption 4 times or more per week compared with less than once a week was associated with a 22% lower risk of CHD (relative risk, 0.78) and an 11% lower risk of CVD (relative risk, 0.89). Legume consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in US men and women: NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study. Bazzano LA, He J, Ogden LG, Loria C, Vupputuri S, Myers L, Whelton PK. Arch Intern Med 2001 Nov 26;161(21):2573-8. Tulane.