VOLUME 2008 issue 6

Poor Dietary Choices Contribute to Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic Syndrome is a group of health risk factors that are associated with cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Factors include enlarged waist circumference, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and high fasting glucose levels. Lyn Steffen, from the University of Minnesota (USA), and colleagues, analyzed dietary intake data of more than 9,500 men and women, ages 45 to 64, who enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. The team assessed food intake and categorized people by their dietary preferences: Western, which is heavy on refined grains, processed meat, fried foods, red meat, eggs, and soda, and light on fish, fruit, vegetables, and whole grain products; or prudent, which favored vegetables, fruit, fish and seafood, poultry, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. After 9 years of follow-up, 40% of the study participants had 3 or more risk factors for Metabolic Syndrome, and (after adjusting for other factors) the researchers found this to be correlated to a Western dietary pattern.
Specifically, the researchers found that eating just two servings of meat a day can increase the risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome by 25%, as compared to eating meat only twice a week. In addition, fried foods and diet soda were significantly associated with an increased risk of developing Metabolic Syndrome
[Lutsey PL, Steffen LM, Stevens J. “Dietary Intake and the Development of the Metabolic Syndrome. The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study.” Circulation. 2008 Jan 22; [Epub ahead of print].

Dr. Klatz observes: "This study warns of the hazards of the Western diet. For a healthy alternative, we can look to the Okinawan diet. Okinawa, a prefecture in the Japan, has the highest proportion of centenarians in the world, with more than 33% aged 100 years or older. Okinawans have 80% fewer heart attacks than Americans, and 75% fewer cancers, including breast cancer and cancer of the ovaries in women and prostate cancer in men. The Okinawan diet is rich in complex carbohydrates and plant-based foods, and low in fat, as compared to the average Western diet. For these reasons, the Okinawan diet reflects key anti-aging principles for longevity.”


Breakfast Curbs Middle-Age Weight Gain

Nita Forouhi, from Addenbrooke’s Hospital (United Kingdom), and colleagues followed more than 6,700 men and women, ages 40 to 75 for a period of nearly four years, to establish the role of breakfast in weight gain. The researchers found that people who ate a greater proportion (22 to 50%) of their total daily calories at breakfast time gained 0.79 kilograms of weight over time. By contrast, those who consumed 11% or less of their total day’s worth of calories at breakfast gained an average of 1.23 kilograms. The team notes that each 10% increase in calorie consumption at breakfast equated to approximately 210 to 320 grams less weight gain on-average over a four-year period.
[Purslow LR, Sandhu MS, Forouhi N, Young EH, Luben RN, Welch AA, Khaw KT, Bingham SA, Wareham NJ. “Energy intake at breakfast and weight change: prospective study of 6,764 middle-aged men and women.” Am J Epidemiol. 2008 Jan 15;167(2):188-92. Epub 2007 Dec 12.]

Remarks Dr. Goldman: “This study is one of the latest to support the adage that ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day.’ Simply by shifting a greater proportion of a day’s total calorie intake to breakfast may be beneficial to lower weight gain over time among middle-aged men aged women. This effect can be further reinforced by initiating a regular exercise regimen and by making healthy lifestyle choices (don’t smoke, drink alcohol in moderation, and similar.).”

Omega-3 Supplements Slow Late-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

Qiu-Lan Ma, from the University of California/Los Angeles (USA), and colleagues, have found that supplements of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid, can increase levels of LR11, a protein that is key in clearing enzymes that produce beta amyloid plaques implicated in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The team’s research suggests that DHA may be most useful for early intervention and prevention of late-onset AD, with DHA inducing increases in LR11 in a lab model of Alzheimers.
[Qiu-Lan Ma, Bruce Teter, Oliver J. Ubeda, Takashi Morihara, Dilsher Dhoot, Michael D. Nyby, Michael L. Tuck, Sally A. Frautschy, and Greg M. Cole. “Omega-3 Fatty Acid Docosahexaenoic Acid Increases SorLA/LR11, a Sorting Protein with Reduced Expression in Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease (AD): Relevance to AD Prevention.” The Journal of Neuroscience, December 26, 2007, 27(52):14286-14298; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4122-07.2007.]

Comments Dr. Klatz: "Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and currently afflicts over 13 million people worldwide. Late-onset AD is the most common form of the disease and has no obvious family inheritance pattern. This study adds to a growing body of evidence linking DHA to brain health, and indicates a potential therapeutic benefit for the supplement in reducing the risk for a devastating neurological disease.

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