A study from Karolinska Institutet indicates that people with a family history of cardiovascular diseases can reduce their risk by consuming more oily fish, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids. This finding is based on the analysis of data from over 40,000 individuals.
A recent study conducted by Karolinska Institutet published in the journal Circulation suggests that individuals with a family history of cardiovascular disease might benefit from increasing their intake of oily fish.
Oily fish, like salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines, are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These essential fatty acids, vital for various bodily functions, cannot be synthesized by the body and must be acquired through diet. Research consistently highlights the importance of omega-3 in everyone’s diet.
Study Focus on Cardiovascular Disease and Diet
Now a large international study shows that it is likely to be particularly important for people with a family history of cardiovascular disease. The cardiovascular diseases that researchers have looked at are fatal and non-fatal coronary heart disease such as unstable angina, heart attack and cardiac arrest, and cerebral infarction (stroke).
“Cardiovascular disease is to some extent hereditary, as shown by twin studies, but it has been difficult to identify the controlling genes. A strong hypothesis is therefore that it is a combination of genetics and environment,” says Karin Leander, senior lecturer and associate professor of epidemiology at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Unit for Cardiovascular and Nutritional Epidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, and research leader of the study.
Therefore, she and her research colleagues examined the effect of the interaction between family history and dietary intake. In the study, they pooled data from over 40,000 people without cardiovascular disease.
Findings of the Study
During the follow-up period, nearly 8,000 of these suffered from cardiovascular disease. In their analysis, the researchers were able to show that those who had both cardiovascular disease in a close relative such as a parent or sibling, and also low levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA/DHA, had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease of over 40 percent. The elevated risk for those who ‘only’ had cardiovascular disease in the immediate family was 25 percent.
“The study suggests that those with a family history of cardiovascular disease have more to gain from eating more oily fish than others,” says Karin Leander.
Objective Measurements and New Knowledge
The levels of EPA/DHA were measured in all study participants. Since these fatty acids cannot be produced in the body, the levels are a reliable measure of the dietary intake of oily fish, according to Karin Leander.
“The fact that the measurements of fatty acids in blood and tissue are objective, as opposed to self-reported data on eating habits, is an important advantage,” she says.
So, despite being an observational study in an area where there are already plenty of randomized clinical trials, these findings represent completely new knowledge, according to Karin Leander.
“We are the first to study the effect of the combination of family history and fatty fish intake using fatty acid measurements,” she says.
A study has shown that dietary supplementation with coconut oil may result in a reduction in waist circumference and other benefits.
A randomized, double-blind clinical trial of 40 women divided them into two groups — one that received daily dietary supplements of soybean oil (group S) and another than received a similar amount of coconut oil (group C). Both groups were instructed to follow a balanced hypocaloric diet and to walk for 50 minutes each day.
According to the study:
“[After one week,] only group C exhibited a reduction in [waist circumference]… Group S presented an increase… in total cholesterol, LDL and LDL:HDL ratio, whilst HDL diminished … Such alterations were not observed in group C. It appears that dietetic supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity.”
This is a great example of how many common theories on nutrition can be seriously mistaken. Saturated fat has been wrongfully vilified as the cause of high cholesterol and heart disease for the last 60 years, when in fact the converse was true all along.
The result of people following the misguided advice to replace saturated fats (like coconut oil) with polyunsaturated vegetable oils (such as soybean oil) is reflected in the statistics for heart disease today. Prior to 1920, coronary artery disease was actually a rarity. In the 1950s, rates began to rise in step with the increased consumption of hydrogenated vegetable oils (trans fat), which replaced saturated fats like butter and lard that had been the norm in previous decades…
Now on to coconut oil; a rare gem among saturated fats, with numerous health benefits. First, did you know that multiple studies on Pacific Island populations who get 30-60 percent of their total caloric intact from fully saturated coconut oil have all shown nearly non-existent rates of cardiovascular disease?
Coconut oil can be helpful for pregnant women, nursing moms, the elderly, those concerned about digestive health, athletes (even weekend warriors), and those of you who just want to enhance your overall health. One of the explanations for its broad health applications is because it’s rich in lauric acid, which converts in your body to monolaurin – a compound also found in breast milk that strengthens a baby’s immunity.
Its medium chain fatty acids or triglycerides (MCTs), also impart a number of health benefits, including raising your body’s metabolism and fighting off pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and fungi. Capric acid, another coconut fatty acid present in smaller amounts, is another antimicrobial component.
Coconut oil is also excellent for your thyroid. Additionally, a very exciting and recent discovery is that coconut oil may even serve as a natural treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, as MCTs are also a primary source of ketone bodies, which act as an alternate source of brain fuel that can help prevent the brain atrophy associated with dementia.
(Alliance/iStock/Thinkstock)
Previous Studies Confirm: Coconut Oil Helpful for Fat Loss
Going back to the results in the featured study for a moment, previous studies have also found that the medium chain fatty acids (MCTs) found in coconut oil promote weight loss, and are helpful for shedding adipose fat in particular. One such study showed that rats fed long chain fatty acids (LCTs, found in vegetable oils) stored body fat, while rats fed MCTs (found in coconut oil) reduced body fat and improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Specifically, MCT’s were found to down-regulate the expression of adipogenic genes.
Another 2003 study found that MCT’s increased energy expenditure and decreased adiposity in overweight men—a similar finding as in the study above. Here, 24 overweight men consumed diets rich in either MCT or LCT for 28 days, and those consuming MCTs lost more weight and had more energy than those consuming LCTs (in this case olive oil, as opposed to soy bean oil).
Most of the conventional advice relating to coconut oil and cholesterol are false and misleading. Coconut oil has been repeatedly shown to be beneficial rather than detrimental on cholesterol levels and heart health. As explained in a previous article written by Ray Pete, it’s been clearly established for over 80 years now that suppression of the thyroid raises serum cholesterol (and increases mortality from infections, cancer, and heart disease), while restoring the thyroid hormone brings cholesterol down to normal.
As mentioned earlier, coconut oil does both; it balances your thyroid and normalizes your cholesterol levels.
“As far as the evidence goes… coconut oil, added regularly to a balanced diet, lowers cholesterol to normal by promoting its conversion into pregnenolone,” he writes. “Coconut-eating cultures in the tropics have consistently lower cholesterol than people in the U.S.”
Mary Enig with the Weston A Price Foundation has also written at length about the beneficial effects of coconut oil on heart health and cholesterol levels.
Are You Ready to Make the Switch?
Generally speaking, foods that are likely to contain health-harming trans fats include deep-fried foods, processed baked goods, snack foods, and processed foods, including fast foods. Aside from soybean oil, other varieties to avoid include corn and canola oil, so make sure to read the labels when shopping. If you want to avoid dangerous fats of all kinds, your best bet is to eliminate processed foods from your diet. From there, use these tips to make sure you’re eating the right fats for your health:
Use organic coconut oil for all your cooking needs. It is far superior to any other cooking oil and is loaded with health benefits. Make sure you choose an organic coconut oil that is unrefined, unbleached, made without heat processing or chemicals, and does not contain GM ingredients.
Use organic butter (preferably made from raw milk) instead of margarines and vegetable oil spreads. Butter is a healthy whole food that has received an unwarranted bad rap.
Be sure to eat raw fats, such as those from avocados, raw dairy products, and olive oil, and also take a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fat, such as krill oil.
Following my comprehensive nutrition plan will also automatically reduce your trans-fat intake, as it will give you a guide to focus on healthy whole foods instead of processed junk food.
Study compared pregnant women who ate salmon and those who didn’t
Found no difference in their babies’ allergies when tested at 6 months
Children of salmon-eating mothers were less likely to have asthma by age 3
Fatty acids in fish may protect against allergies and diseases like Crohn’s .
Half of the women ate salmon twice a week from half-way through pregnancy until birth. The others avoided the fish.
By the age of three, one in ten of the children had been diagnosed with asthma. However, almost all the cases were in youngsters from salmon-free pregnancies.
He said: ‘Our findings indicate that early nutrition interventions, even during pregnancy, can have long lasting effects on health.’
His work, which is yet to be published in a journal but was presented at the Experimental Biology conference in the US, is part of a growing body of research that points to a child’s health being programmed early in life, including the womb and pre-conception.
Children were up to five times less likely to have been diagnosed with asthma by the age of three if their mother ate the oily fish while carrying them, researchers found (file photo)
It is argued that these early days shape a child’s chances of everything from developing diabetes in their 40s and 50s to having a heart attack in old age.
It is even said that life expectancy can be traced back to these early days and months, as can a lifelong battle of the bulge.
The NHS says a healthy diet should include at least two portions of fish a week, including one of oily fish.
Men and boys can have salmon and other oily fish up to four times a week.
Concern about the build-up of toxic chemicals in the oily flesh means pregnant women – and women and girls of child-bearing age – are advised to eat just two portions a week.
However, seven out of ten Britons do not eat any oily fish at all.
Other sources of omega-3 include walnuts, pumpkin seeds, tofu and green leafy vegetables.
Eating oily fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids can add years to your life, a study has shown.
Higher blood levels of omega-3 reduce the chances of dying from heart disease by more than a third, according to the research.
They cut the overall risk of dying by as much as 27 per cent.
Scientists found that people with the largest amounts of the fatty acids in their blood lived on average 2.2 years longer than those with lower levels.
“Although eating fish has long been considered part of a healthy diet, few studies have assessed blood omega-3 levels and total deaths in older adults,” said lead researcher Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, from the Harvard School of Public Health in the US.
“Our findings support the importance of adequate blood omega-3 levels for cardiovascular health, and suggest that later in life these benefits could actually extend the years of remaining life.”
The scientists analysed 16 years of data from around 2,700 US adults aged 65 and older taking part in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS).
Participants gave blood samples and were questioned about their health, medical history and lifestyle.
Three key omega-3 fatty acids, both separately and together, were associated with a significantly reduced risk of death.
One, docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA) , was linked to a 40% lower risk of death due to coronary heart disease. This was especially true for deaths caused by heart rhythm disturbances.
Another omega-3 compound, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) was strongly associated with a lower risk of death from stroke.
The third type of omega-3, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was linked to a reduced risk of non-fatal heart attack.
Overall, participants with the highest levels of all three types of fatty acid had a 27 per cent lower risk of death from all causes.
Oily fish, such as mackerel, tuna and sardines, is the most important source of omega-3. The fatty acids can also be found in flaxseed, walnuts and rapeseed oil.
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