National Posture Institute Research: Monounsaturated fats reduce metabolic syndrome risk

Canola oil and high-oleic canola oils can lower abdominal fat when used in place of other selected oil blends, according to a team of American and Canadian researchers. The researchers also found that consuming certain vegetable oils may be a simple way of reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome, which affects about one in three U.S. adults and one in five Canadian adults.

"The monounsaturated fats in these vegetable oils appear to reduce abdominal fat, which in turn may decrease metabolic syndrome risk factors," said Penny Kris-Etherton, Distinguished Professor of Nutrition, Penn State.

In the randomized, controlled trial, 121 participants at risk for metabolic syndrome received a daily smoothie containing 40 grams (1.42 ounces) of one of five oils as part of a weight maintenance, heart-healthy, 2000-calorie per day diet. Members of the group had five risk factors characterized by increased belly fat, low "good" hdl cholesterol and above average blood sugar, blood pressure and triglycerides that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. The researchers repeated this process for the remaining four oils.

The results were presented at the American Heart Association's EPI/NPAM 2013 Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.

Results showed that those who consumed canola or high-oleic canola oils on a daily basis for four weeks lowered their belly fat by 1.6 percent compared to those who consumed a flax/safflower oil blend. Abdominal fat was unchanged by the other two oils, which included a corn/safflower oil blend and high-oleic canola oil enriched with an algal source of the omega-3 DHA. Both the flax/safflower and corn/safflower oil blends were low in monounsaturated fat.

According to the American Heart Association, many of the factors that contribute to metabolic syndrome can be addressed by a healthy diet, exercise and weight loss, which can significantly reduce health risks of this condition.

"It is evident that further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms that account for belly fat loss on a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids," said Kris-Etherton. "Our study indicates that simple dietary changes, such as using vegetable oils high in monounsaturated fatty acids, may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome and therefore heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes."

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Other authors on the paper include Peter Jones and Shuaihua Pu of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg; Sheila West, Xiaoran Liu, Jennifer Fleming and Cindy McCrea of Penn State; Benôit Lamarche and Patrick Couture of Laval University in Quebec; and David Jenkins of the University of Toronto. The government of Canada, the Canola Council of Canada and Dow Agrosciences funded this research.

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National Posture Institute News Story: Commonly used cholesterol calculation underestimates heart disease danger for many

Researchers suggest a different method of assessing risk after examining data on 1.3 million Americans

In what promises to be an eye-opener for many doctors and patients who routinely depend on cholesterol testing, a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that the standard formula used for decades to calculate low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels is often inaccurate. Of most concern, the researchers say, is their finding that the widely used formula underestimates LDL where accuracy matters most — in the range considered desirable for high-risk patients. Results of the study are published in an online article, ahead of print, in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

LDL is known as the "bad" cholesterol, with higher numbers signaling greater risk of plaque accumulating in heart arteries and having a heart attack. Since 1972, a formula called the Friedewald equation has been used to gauge LDL cholesterol. It is an estimate rather than an exact measurement. However, physicians use the number to assess their patients' risk and determine the best course of treatment.

"In our study, we compared samples assessed using the Friedewald equation with a direct calculation of the LDL cholesterol. We found that in nearly one out of four samples in the 'desirable' range for people with a higher heart disease risk, the Friedewald equation had it wrong," says Seth Martin, M.D., a clinical fellow at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease. "As a result, many patients may think they achieved their LDL cholesterol target when, in fact, they may need more aggressive treatment to reduce their heart disease risk," says Martin, who is the lead author of the study.

"In patients with heart disease, we want to get their LDL level below 70 — that is the typical goal," says Steven Jones, M.D., director of inpatient cardiology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and a faculty member at the Ciccarone Center who is the senior author of the study. Jones says based on their findings, many people — especially those with high triglyceride levels — may have a false sense of assurance that their LDL cholesterol targets have been met.

For the study, the researchers obtained detailed lipid profiles of more than 1.3 million American adults — almost one out of every 180 adults in the United States — analyzed from 2009 to 2011. The LDL cholesterol and other blood lipid components in those samples had been directly measured with a technique known as ultracentrifugation. The researchers then evaluated those samples using the Friedewald equation that is used routinely in doctors' offices worldwide. When they compared the results, the differences came to light.

The lipid profiles were from a laboratory in Birmingham, Alabama, that provides a detailed analysis of samples sent in by doctors across the country. Except for the age of people on whom the samples were based (59 years on average) and the gender (52 percent of the samples were from women), the patients were not identifiable to the researchers. The researchers collaborated with the lab to develop the database they would need for the study.

The Friedewald equation was introduced into clinical practice by William Friedewald, M.D., to work around the significant time and expense of ultracentrifugation specifically to measure LDL cholesterol among about 400 people in families with genetic cholesterol abnormalities. The equation calculates LDL cholesterol with the following formula: total cholesterol minus HDL cholesterol minus triglycerides divided by five. The result is expressed in milligrams per deciliter.

"The database that we used was almost 3,000 times larger than the sample used to devise the Friedewald equation," Martin says.

As an alternative to Friedewald, Martin and his colleagues suggest that a more accurate way to assess risk for patients is to look at non-HDL, which is acquired by subtracting HDL from total cholesterol.

That non-HDL number, which includes LDL and other plaque-causing cholesterol particles called VLDL (very low density lipoprotein), would typically be about 30 points higher than when LDL cholesterol is calculated under the Friedewald method, and it could vary. But Martin says it would provide a better way to assess whether patients need to modify their medications or make more substantial lifestyle changes. "Most specialists in our field agree at this point that all of those non-HDL components are important," he says.

The non-HDL cholesterol level can be obtained easily using the same test widely available in doctors' offices today at no greater cost than the Friedewald calculation.

"Non-HDL cholesterol is a much better target for quantifying risk of plaques in coronary arteries," says Jones. "Looking at non-HDL cholesterol would make it simpler and more consistent, and would enable us to provide our patients with a better assessment," he says.

Jones, who originated the idea to use the large laboratory database to assess the Friedewald equation, says the information was provided by the lab at no cost. The lab, Atherotech, did not provide any funding for the research. The database used in the study is registered on the website http://www.clinicaltrials.gov and will be an important resource for ongoing scientific investigation.

 

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6 more days to register for the  National Posture Institute's (NPI) Posture Analysis and Resistance Training CEC Workshop & NPI-Certified Posture Specialist™ Program at the University of Maryland (April 12-13, 2013 | College Park, MD)! To Register: http://www.npionline.org/workshops/um Don't miss it!

 

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National Posture Institute News Story: Dwelling on stressful events can increase inflammation in the body, study finds

ATHENS, Ohio (March 13, 2013)—Dwelling on negative events can increase levels of inflammation in the body, a new Ohio University study finds. Researchers discovered that when study participants were asked to ruminate on a stressful incident, their levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of tissue inflammation, rose. The study is the first time to directly measure this effect in the body.

"Much of the past work has looked at this in non-experimental designs. Researchers have asked people to report their tendency to ruminate, and then looked to see if it connected to physiological issues. It's been correlational for the most part," said Peggy Zoccola, an assistant professor of psychology at Ohio University.

Zoccola is lead author on the new study, which she will present Friday at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in Miami, Fla.

The research team recruited 34 healthy young women to participate in the project. Each woman was asked to give a speech about her candidacy for a job to two interviewers in white laboratory coats, who listened with stone-faced expressions, Zoccola said.

Half of the group was asked to contemplate their performance in the public speaking task, while the other half was asked to think about neutral images and activities, such as sailing ships or grocery store trips.

The researchers drew blood samples that showed that the levels of C-reactive protein were significantly higher in the subjects who were asked to dwell on the speech, Zoccola reported.

For these participants, the levels of the inflammatory marker continued to rise for at least one hour after the speech. During the same time period, the marker returned to starting levels in the subjects who had been asked to focus on other thoughts.

The C-reactive protein is primarily produced by the liver as part of the immune system's initial inflammatory response. It rises in response to traumas, injuries or infections in the body, Zoccola explained.

C-reative protein is widely used as a clinical marker to determine if a patient has an infection, but also if he or she may be at risk for disease later in life.

"More and more, chronic inflammation is being associated with various disorders and conditions," Zoccola said. "The immune system plays an important role in various cardiovascular disorders such as heart disease, as well as cancer, dementia and autoimmune diseases."

Zoccola is working with Fabian Benencia in Ohio University's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and Lauren Mente, a registered nurse and graduate student in the School of Nursing, to investigate the effect of rumination on additional inflammation markers. In addition, she hopes to study the issue in other populations, such as older adults, who might be vulnerable to rumination and health problems.

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