Foods which correlate with CVD risk

[trophy33]

Global Correlates of Cardiovascular Risk: A Comparison of 158 Countries.​

Europe PMC

Europe PMC is an archive of life sciences journal literature.

europepmc.org

The study is from 2018, but I discovered it today.

The aim of this study was a large-scale ecological analysis of nutritional and other environmental factors potentially associated with the incidence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in the global context. Indicators of CVDs from 158 countries were compared with the statistics of mean intake (supply) of 60 food items...

...the results always show very similar trends and identify high carbohydrate consumption (mainly in the form of cereals and wheat, in particular) as the dietary factor most consistently associated with the risk of CVDs.

...Other suspect variables are alcohol (mainly in its distilled form) and sunflower oil, but their roles are limited to Europe where their consumption rates are sufficiently high.

...It is true that the connection between CVDs and carbohydrates has not been universally accepted yet, but both epidemiological and mechanistic evidence is growing, and this fundamental problem has attracted wide public attention.

.... More convincing results will be possible when more precise data on CVD prevalence are available. Because self-reported dietary questionnaires from observational studies are increasingly perceived as the dead end of nutritional science, such high-quality data are urgently needed. Results of detailed ecological analyses such as the present one can subsequently constitute a very useful contribution to the recent debate regarding the changing paradigm in cardiology.

​

 

[FireDragon76]

The link with cereal consumption is probably due to refined grains that are mixed into pastries, baked goods, and general "junk food", which typically contain a substantial amount of fat, salt, and sugar. The same is true with sunflower oil consumption, it's almost always used in junk food and baked goods.

So it's really about the overall dietary pattern, and not specific food ingredients. People that consume unrefined grains don't see that kind of cardiovascular disease risk.

 

[RDKirk]

The cereal consumption is probably due to refined grains that are mixed into pastries and baked goods, which typically contain a substantial amount of saturated fat and sugar. The same is true with sunflower oil consumption, it's almost always used in junk food and baked goods.

There are similar patterns in the US. Most of the growth in calories in the last 50 years has been in the form of grain consumption. The biggest increase has been in foods like pizza, which has alot of refined carbohydrates, but also alot of fat, particularly saturated fat. In the presence of so much saturated fat, the starches tend to promote insulin resistance because they are converted into triglycerides instead of being burned as fuel. Saturated fat promotes ceramide production in muscle cell walls, so the cells become insulin insensitive.

Peolpe that consume unrefined grains, however, don't see that kind of cardiovascular disease risk.

Two more things: In the US, it's also the fact of Monsanto type "freaky wheat" that is plumped up with extra gluten by using additional doses of glyphosate just before harvest, as well as the omega 6 fats introduced into the system by processed seed oils, not merely saturated fat. The body can handle saturated fats...it can't handle omega 6 fats.

 

[FireDragon76]

Two more things: In the US, it's also the fact of Monsanto type "freaky wheat" that is plumped up with extra gluten by using additional doses of glyphosate just before harvest, as well as the omega 6 fats introduced into the system by processed seed oils, not merely saturated fat. The body can handle saturated fats...it can't handle omega 6 fats.

The exact role of omega 6 fats in human health is still up for much debate.

A less esoteric explanation is that consumption of foods high in refined grains like pizza have increased the most since the 1970's. Most people aren't aware but America's most popular cheese is now mozzarella. In 2011 the USDA had pizza count as a vegetable for the purposes of school lunches, even though pizza has more in common with an ultra-processed food than a vegetable.

 

[trophy33]

The link with cereal consumption is probably due to refined grains that are mixed into pastries, baked goods, and general "junk food", which typically contain a substantial amount of fat, salt, and sugar. The same is true with sunflower oil consumption, it's almost always used in junk food and baked goods.

So it's really about the overall dietary pattern, and not specific food ingredients. People that consume unrefined grains don't see that kind of cardiovascular disease risk.

This one seems to be a well done analysis of observational studies, so if we do not accept findings of this one, we should not accept findings of any observational study.

Which may be the case, as the authors also said: "Because self-reported dietary questionnaires from observational studies are increasingly perceived as the dead end of nutritional science"

Which also means that any dietary guidelines based on observation studies should be reevaluated or even rejected.

 

[timewerx]

"Metabolic Syndrome" (MetS) is the main factor of CVD and diabetes.

Lifestyle changes are mainly diet and exercise.

This link tackles the risk factors for CVD directly (MetS). Not only makes exercise essential part of lifestyle change to eliminate MetS but also recommends a high fiber, high carb diet like the "Mediterranean" Diet.

The Metabolic Syndrome

The metabolic syndrome is the name of a cluster of risk factors that, when they appear together, dramatically raise your risk of heart disease, heart failure, stroke and diabetes, as well as other non-cardiovascular conditions.

www.hopkinsmedicine.org

 

[RDKirk]

The exact role of omega 6 fats in human health is still up for much debate.

A less esoteric explanation is that consumption of foods high in refined grains like pizza have increased the most since the 1970's. Most people aren't aware but America's most popular cheese is now mozzarella. In 2011 the USDA had pizza count as a vegetable for the purposes of school lunches, even though pizza has more in common with an ultra-processed food than a vegetable.

The USDA had started counting the tomato sauce as a vegetable back in the 80s.

 

[RDKirk]

"Metabolic Syndrome" (MetS) is the main factor of CVD and diabetes.

Lifestyle changes are mainly diet and exercise.

This link tackles the risk factors for CVD directly (MetS). Not only makes exercise essential part of lifestyle change to eliminate MetS but also recommends a high fiber, high carb diet like the "Mediterranean" Diet.

The Metabolic Syndrome

The metabolic syndrome is the name of a cluster of risk factors that, when they appear together, dramatically raise your risk of heart disease, heart failure, stroke and diabetes, as well as other non-cardiovascular conditions.

www.hopkinsmedicine.org

I think factors like stress have been underestimated in those dietary recommendations. There is no "the" Mediterranean Diet...there are a lot of dietary cultures surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. But one thing those cultures do have in common are stress-reducing lifestyles. As I've ranted before, America makes people crazy.

 

[timewerx]

I think factors like stress have been underestimated in those dietary recommendations. There is no "the" Mediterranean Diet...there are a lot of dietary cultures surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. But one thing those cultures do have in common are stress-reducing lifestyles. As I've ranted before, America makes people crazy.

Nobody likes stress.

People in my country die trying to immigrate to USA or the Europe or Canada for a less stressful life because life is a lot stressful here even when compared to USA. It is the main reason why people try to get in.

Probably why nobody tells other people to avoid stress is because the stress coping mechanism of most normal people is to avoid stress in the first place or moving on to a less stressful situation such as literally moving to another place or another job.

And because people who can't get out of their stressful situation, probably can't do it themselves and they have way bigger problems than their choice of diet.

However, you may find it interesting that the right diet can help reduce stress even if you're dealing with a very stressful situation.

Exercise can also reduce stress. Exercise can trigger release of natural pain-killing compounds/hormones in the body and the same stuff can also help reduce stress.

I don't do Mediterranean diet but I sometimes drink 1/8th glass of red wine together with meals. It helps me relax a great deal during and after a meal which helps reduce stress.

I'm aware about the correlation of alcohol with CVD and cancer and strong correlation of stress with both CVD and cancer. But ironically, very moderate consumption of wine in my case, helps me deal with stress better.

 

[RDKirk]

Nobody likes stress.

People in my country die trying to immigrate to USA or the Europe or Canada for a less stressful life because life is a lot stressful here even when compared to USA. It is the main reason why people try to get in.

There are places with less stress than the US and places of lower economic capacity with a different kind of stress than the US. The US, where most people's survival needs have been met, places stress on people in ways that should not occur compared to other industrialized nations.

And having spent years myself in places like Okinawa, South Korea, and the Philippines, there are ways people relieve themselves of stress that seem to elude Americans.

Most of our stress is self-induced... but it's physiologically impactful stress nevertheless.

 

[trophy33]

There are places with less stress than the US and places of lower economic capacity with a different kind of stress than the US. The US, where most people's survival needs have been met, places stress on people in ways that should not occur compared to other industrialized nations.

And having spent years myself in places like Okinawa, South Korea, and the Philippines, there are ways people relieve themselves of stress that seem to elude Americans.

Most of our stress is self-induced... but it's physiologically impactful stress nevertheless.

It seems that there is also some trend for Americans to move to countries like Philippines to lower their stress and to have an easier life.

 

[RDKirk]

It seems that there is also some trend for Americans to move to countries like Philippines to lower their stress and to have an easier life.

There were many expats in the Philippines from the US and Australia. When they were military retirees, they got the same retirement paychecks they'd get in their respective home countries...but they were in an area with a much lower cost of living and pace of life. That equates for many a life of less stress.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

"Metabolic Syndrome" (MetS) is the main factor of CVD and diabetes.

Lifestyle changes are mainly diet and exercise.

This link tackles the risk factors for CVD directly (MetS). Not only makes exercise essential part of lifestyle change to eliminate MetS but also recommends a high fiber, high carb diet like the "Mediterranean" Diet.

The Metabolic Syndrome

The metabolic syndrome is the name of a cluster of risk factors that, when they appear together, dramatically raise your risk of heart disease, heart failure, stroke and diabetes, as well as other non-cardiovascular conditions.

www.hopkinsmedicine.org

• Eat a heart-healthy diet . Whether your heart is still healthy or is showing signs of trouble, you can significantly reduce your risks by sticking to a Mediterranean-style diet , says Ndumele. Choose meals high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and olive oil, low in saturated fat and low-glycemic foods.

 

[RDKirk]

• Eat a heart-healthy diet . Whether your heart is still healthy or is showing signs of trouble, you can significantly reduce your risks by sticking to a Mediterranean-style diet , says Ndumele. Choose meals high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and olive oil, low in saturated fat and low-glycemic foods.

I've got a feeling that for the average person living around the Med, the primary common factor of their diet is "whole food, but not a lot of it and not all day long."

 

[trophy33]

• Eat a heart-healthy diet . Whether your heart is still healthy or is showing signs of trouble, you can significantly reduce your risks by sticking to a Mediterranean-style diet , says Ndumele. Choose meals high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains and olive oil, low in saturated fat and low-glycemic foods.

The Mediterranean style diet is basically invented by Americans and only ascribed to the area.

People there eat a lot of dairy, pork, lamb, fish, poultry... However, the difference is they do not eat highly processed food and their life is slow-paced, full of sun and social life. This is healthy for the heart, not whole grains or similar.

 

[trophy33]

...and olive oil...

Interestingly, the image of a Mediterranean person using a lot of olive oil in their food is quite a modern thing. The traditional cooking was based on the pig lard.

Fact Or Fiction? Uncovering The Fats Of Italy’s Past

Lard has been Italy’s historical fat of choice, not olive oil. Traditional Italian recipes that include lard. Italian food facts lardo

www.westonaprice.org

 

[FireDragon76]

The USDA had started counting the tomato sauce as a vegetable back in the 80s.

That just shows how thinking about food in terms of isolated ingredients, instead of dietary patterns, can be misleading (for instance, the idea of "superfoods"). It's true tomato sauce can be healthy, but it can also be part of some less healthy foods, too.

 

[keith99]

That just shows how thinking about food in terms of isolated ingredients, instead of dietary patterns, can be misleading (for instance, the idea of "superfoods"). It's true tomato sauce can be healthy, but it can also be part of some less healthy foods, too.

Heck, tomato sauce covers a lot of ground. It can range from something that is very high in sodium and sugar with little else to something with no added sugar, sodium or replacements like corn syrup, relying on herbs, spices and other vegetables for flavor.

 

[timewerx]

And having spent years myself in places like Okinawa, South Korea, and the Philippines, there are ways people relieve themselves of stress that seem to elude Americans.

Most of our stress is self-induced... but it's physiologically impactful stress nevertheless.

I live in the Philippines and I would know that people living here are only good at pretending to be happy.

Statistics tell the truth otherwise. Americans are still happier than us. In fact, better than Japan and South Korea too:

World Happiness Index 2023 Country Wise Rank [Updated List]

India ranks on 136th position on World Happiness Index 2023 List. Know the country wise rank and the happiest country of the world.

njcmindia.org

If you want more correlation, the same happiest countries are also having the longest lifespans. Which seems to reinforce the truth about stress and health:

Life Expectancy by Country and in the World (2023) - Worldometer

List of countries and dependencies in the world ranked by life expectancy at birth, both sexes, males and females. World Population Life Expectancy with historical chart

www.worldometers.info

Many of the happiest and longest living countries also happen to have the highest per capita income making financial stability a significant contributor to health quite obviously by lowering stress levels, access to healthier diets, and high quality health care. Financial instability/problems can contribute to large amount of stress thus, it's not surprising that Philippines ranking low in the per capita income would also rank low in life expectancy.

GDP per Capita - Worldometer

GDP per capita by country. List by GDP at PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) and by Nominal GDP. Ratio to World's average GDP per capita at PPP

www.worldometers.info

Japan and Korea being "unhappy" despite the high per capita income and greater life expectancy. There are tons of South Koreans living here and I know what they're so miserable about - their self-image. Very insecure, very self-absorbed folks and unfortunately, our younger generation is falling into the same fate.

As they say "money won't make you happy but it can make your life a lot less stressful". I found it to be true especially if not in debt.

 

[timewerx]

There were many expats in the Philippines from the US and Australia. When they were military retirees, they got the same retirement paychecks they'd get in their respective home countries...but they were in an area with a much lower cost of living and pace of life. That equates for many a life of less stress.

True. Your state of finances is a huge contributing factor to your level of stress and statistics reflect this, see my post above for correlations.

When you retire in a poor country with low cost of living, your money goes longer ways.

I see some of these retirees. From where I stand, they are enjoying high quality of life only rich people here enjoy.

We don't get such privileges like generous retirement paychecks that's why many people here try their best to immigrate to richer countries and many also return so they can spend their retirement income here.

Low stress will make you live longer alright. Yet, this isn't the calling of a Christian. There will be plenty of persecutions and trials. Definitely not low stress!