Compared to a standard diabetic diet, a Paleolithic diet improves cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetics, according to investigators at Lund University in Sweden. Researchers compared the effects of a Paleo and a modern diabetic diet in 13 type 2 diabetic adults (10 men) with average hemoglobin A1c’s of 6.6% (under good control, then). Most [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘coronary heart disease’
June 18, 2010
Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: Bane of Mankind?
Over the last 30 years in the U.S., consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) has increased from3.9% of total calories to 9.2% (in 2001). In that same time span, the percentage of overweight American adults increased from 47% to 66%. The obesity percentage rose from15 to 33% of adults. [Did the beverages cause the weight gain, or [...]
June 12, 2010
Whole Grains in Diabetics: A Double-Edged Sword
Whole grain and bran consumption are linked to reduced overall death rates and cardiovascular disease deaths in white women with type 2 diabetes, according to recent research from Boston-based investigators. This is an important association since diabetics are prone to develop cardiovascular disease and suffer premature death. Anything that can easily counteract those trends is welcome. Several prior [...]
May 17, 2010
Low-Carb Mediterranean Diet Improves Glucose Control and Heart Risk Factors in Overweight Diabetics
In overweight type 2 diabetics, a low-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet improved HDL cholesterol levels and glucose control better than either the standard Mediterranean diet or American Diabetes Association diet, according to Israeli researchers reporting earlier this year. Background Prior studies suggest that diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (olive oil, for example) elevate HDL cholesterol and reduce [...]
April 24, 2010
Whole Grains Reduce Heart Attacks and Strokes
Whole grain consumption is associated with a 21% reduction in cardiovascular disease when compared to minimal whole grain intake, according to a 2008 review article in Nutrition, Metabolism, and Cardiovascular Disease. Coronary heart disease is the No. 1 killer in the developed world. Stroke is No. 3. The term “cardiovascular disease” lumps together heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, and generalized [...]
April 21, 2010
Red Wine Improves Circulation
Red wine’s beneficial health effects may be related to improved circulation, according to a recent study by Israeli researchers. Red wine is a time-honored component of the healthy Mediterranean diet. Consumption is associated with longer lifespan and less cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks. Israeli investigators had 14 young healthy volunteers drink 250 cc of red [...]
April 10, 2010
Fruits and Vegetables DON’T Prevent Heart Disease
Fruit and vegetable consumption does not seem to reduce the risk of heart attacks (coronary heart disease), according to a recent literature review by French epidemiologists. I recently wrote about a study that found no overall reduced risk of cancer via consumption of fruits and vegetables. Heart attacks and cancer are the first and second leading causes [...]
April 9, 2010
Prediabetes Ignored Way Too Often
Only half of Americans with prediabetes take steps to avoid progression to diabetes, according to a recent report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Prediabetes is defined as: fasting blood sugar between 100 and 125 mg/dl (5.56–6.94 mmol/l) or blood sugar level 140–199 mg/dl (7.78–11.06 mmol/l) two hours after drinking 75 grams of glucose Prediabetes [...]
February 27, 2010
Alcohol Habit (Especially Wine) Started in Middle-Age Reduces Heart Attack and Stroke
Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding. His mother asked him to do it. Of all the miracles he performed and could have performed, I wonder why this is the first one recorded in the Holy Bible. We have known for years that low or moderate alcohol consumption tends to lower the risk of [...]
