Cranberries Have Role in Heart Health, Should We Give Thanks?

Several studies, including new research presented at the Cranberry Health Research Conference, suggest cranberries may play an important part in heart health. As we prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday and the height of cranberry season, it’s time to explore how these red berries may benefit heart health.

Cranberries are a rich source of polyphenols, including phenolic acids (e.g., benzoic, ellagic acids) and flavonoids (e.g., anthocyanins, flavonols), which have been found to have potent antioxidant properties. In fact, published research has shown “how polyphenol compounds help improve endothelial function, which is a critical factor in preventing atherosclerosis [hardening of the arteries]” and “to inhibit the abnormal platelet aggregation that cause most sudden heart attacks and strokes, while fighting inflammation and supporting healthy blood lipids.”

The current study follows several previous efforts to determine whether cranberries should be considered heart-healthy and worthy of attention beyond the role they have played for years. That role has focused on their ability to help prevent urinary tract infections, particularly in women who are susceptible to this common condition.

Studies of cranberries and heart health
Before we get to the latest research, let’s look briefly at what preceded it, beginning with a Tufts University study published in 2007. The authors of that review noted there was evidence to suggest that the polyphenols found in cranberries may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by hindering the accumulation of platelets and reducing blood pressure.

In a 2011 study, a team at Boston University School of Medicine examined the effects of cranberry juice on vascular function in individuals who had coronary artery disease. Two studies were conducted: an acute, no-placebo pilot that involved 15 patients, and a chronic, placebo-controlled crossover study that enrolled 44 patients.

In the chronic crossover study, the individuals were randomly assigned to drink 16 ounces daily of cranberry juice or placebo for four weeks. The participants in the acute study consumed 16 ounces of cranberry juice one time only.

Here’s what the investigators found:

• Mean carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (an important measure of stiffness of the aorta) decreased after cranberry juice and increased after placebo 
• Several other important cardio measures, including blood pressure, brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, digital pulse amplitude tonometry, and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity, did not change
• In the pilot study, there was an improvement in brachial artery flow-mediated dilation and digital pulse amplitude tonometry four hours after the participants consumed a single 16-ounce portion of the juice

In a subsequent (2013) double-blind, randomized study, the authors set out to see whether daily consumption of double-strength cranberry juice over four months would have a beneficial impact on vascular function and endothelial cells (which line the walls of the arteries). A total of 69 men and women who had peripheral endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular risk factors participated in the study and completed it.

The authors found that drinking the cranberry juice may protect against atherosclerosis by reducing the number of endothelial cells that make a compound called osteocalcin, which has been linked to hardening of the arteries.

Latest study of cranberries and heart health
In this latest study, the authors enrolled 10 healthy males (age 18-40) and evaluated the immediate impact on vascular health after they consumed 16 ounces of cranberry juice at various concentrations, ranging from 0 to 117 percent, including 25 percent, which is the concentration commonly found in commercial cranberry juice cocktail.

The investigators found that drinking cranberry juice improved (increased) flow-mediated vasodilation, which is a measure of blood flow and vascular health, ranging from 1 to 2.5 percent, depending on the concentration and when the participants were tested. At the highest concentration, there was a 10 mmHg decline in systolic blood pressure as well.

According to the study’s lead investigator, Dr. Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, of University Duesseldorf, Germany, “Significant improvements in vascular function from drinking two cups of cranberry juice suggest an important role for cranberries in a heart-healthy diet.”

The findings of these studies provide some evidence that cranberries may have a role in heart health. Although it may be too early to stock up on cranberry juice (which can contain lots of sugar depending on what you buy), it may be comforting to know that these little red berries may have more potential than helping ward off urinary tract infections. You may want to raise a glass of cranberry juice more often in the future…for heart health.

[via Emax Health]

Organic Milk Really is Better for you than Regular Milk

Whole milk from organic dairies contains far more of some of the fatty acids that contribute to a healthy heart than conventional milk, scientists are reporting. 

The finding, published Monday in the journal PLOS One, is the most clear-cut instance of an organic food’s offering a nutritional advantage over its conventional counterpart. Studies looking at organic fruits and vegetables have been less conclusive.

Drinking whole organic milk “will certainly lessen the risk factor for cardiovascular disease,” said the study’s lead author, Charles M. Benbrook, a research professor at Washington State University’s Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“All milk is healthy and good for people,” he continued, “but organic milk is better, because it has a more favorable balance of these fatty acids” — omega-3, typically found in fish and flaxseed, versus omega-6, which is abundant in many fried foods like potato chips.

Under government requirements for organic labeling, dairy cows must spend a certain amount of the time in the pasture, eating grassy plants high in omega-3s; conventional milk comes from cows that are mostly fed corn, which is high in omega-6s. Nonorganic cows that graze in pastures also produce milk with greater amounts of omega-3s.

The research was largely funded by Organic Valley, a farm cooperative that sells organic dairy products. But experts not connected with the study said the findings were credible — though they noted that the role of milk in a healthy diet and the influence of fatty acids in preventing or causing cardiovascular disease are far from settled.

“I think this is a very good piece of work,” said Dr. Joseph Hibbeln, a nutritional neuroscientist at the National Institutes of Health.

The researchers looked at 384 samples of organic and conventional whole milk taken over 18 months around the country. Although the total amount of fat was almost the same, the organic milk contained 62 percent more omega-3 fatty acids and 25 percent fewer omega-6s.

The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in the organic milk was 2.28, much lower than the 5.77 ratio in conventional milk. (The figures do not apply to nonfat milk, which strips away the fatty acids.)

Nutrition experts broadly agree that omega-3 acids offer numerous health benefits. That was the impetus for the United States Department of Agriculture to urge people to eat more seafood when it revised its dietary guidelines in 2010.

But experts disagree sharply whether omega-6 consumption should be reduced.

In ancient times, people ate roughly equal amounts of the two fatty acids. Today most Americans now eat more than 10 times as much omega-6, which is prevalent in certain vegetable oils and thus also fried foods, as omega-3.

While omega-6 is essential, some health studies suggest that such a wide disparity is associated with many ills, Dr. Benbrook said. A shift to drinking organic whole milk — and raising consumption from the currently recommended three servings a day to 4.5 — would take a big step to lowering the ratio, he said, although adjustments would have to be made elsewhere in the diet to offset the added calories of the milk fat.

Donald R. Davis, another of the study’s authors, said the longstanding assumption that the saturated fats in whole milk raise the risk of cardiovascular disease has been questioned in recent years.

Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the nutrition department at the Harvard School of Public Health, did not question the underlying data in the study. But he said the conclusions and recommendations were based on the “false assumption” that omega-6 fatty acids are harmful.

Dr. Willett said omega-6s were actually associated with a lower risk of heart disease, and he called the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s “irrelevant.” People should try to eat more of both, he said.

And he noted that milk was not essential to a healthy diet; adults in many countries drink little or none. “We don’t know all the long-term consequences, so I think the best strategy given current knowledge is to keep intake low to moderate (as in the Mediterranean diet) if it is consumed at all,” Dr. Willet wrote in an email.

But Dr. Hibbeln of the National Institutes of Health, who has conducted research on the effects of fatty acids on heart disease, said animal studies showed that high levels of omega-6s interfered with omega-3s.

At the same time, though, he cautioned that the mix of omega-3s in milk is different from that in fatty fish. The simple ratio, he said, “is not as meaningful as we would like it to be.”

Still, he endorsed the organic milk recommendation. “You’re heading in the right direction,” he said.

Organic Valley uses independent milk-processing companies around the country, allowing the researchers to compare samples of organic milk with conventional milk from the same region.

The company provided $45,000 for an independent laboratory to measure the fatty acids, and it is a corporate sponsor of Dr. Benbrook’s program at Washington State. The university spent $90,000 to analyze the data and prepare the paper for publication.

George Siemon, chief executive of Organic Valley, said he was hoping to gain a better idea of how organic foods differ from conventionally produced ones.

“Organics have lacked a science base,” Mr. Siemon said. “I just wanted to know.”

[via New York Times]

Put Down That Doughnut: FDA Takes on Trans Fats

(CNN) -- So long, margarine: Artificial trans fat in foods may eventually become a thing of the past.

The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday took a first step toward potentially eliminating most trans fat from the food supply, saying it has made a preliminary determination that a major source of trans fats -- partially hydrogenated oils -- is no longer "generally recognized as safe."

If the preliminary determination is finalized, according to the FDA, then partially hydrogenated oils will become food additives that could not be used in food without approval. Foods with unapproved additives cannot legally be sold.

Trans fat can be found in processed foods including desserts, microwave popcorn products, frozen pizza, margarine and coffee creamer, and has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease.

Partially hydrogenated oil is formed when hydrogen is added to liquid oils to make solid fats, like shortening and margarine. It increases the shelf life and the flavor of foods. Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, or shortening, was used in American kitchens as early as 1911.

However, in recent years many food manufacturers have taken steps to limit or eliminate trans fat from their products.

McDonald's, for instance, stopped cooking its french fries in trans fat more than a decade ago. The company's website says all its fried menu items are free of trans fat.

New York City in 2007 adopted a regulation banning partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and spreads in restaurants.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday that he was encouraged by the FDA's move.

"The groundbreaking public health policies we have adopted here in New York City have become a model for the nation for one reason: They've worked. Today, New Yorkers' life expectancy is far higher than the national average, and we've achieved dramatic reductions in disease, including heart disease. The FDA deserves great credit for taking this step, which will help Americans live longer, healthier lives," Bloomberg said.

Trans fat intake among American consumers decreased from 4.6 grams per day in 2003 to about a gram a day in 2012, according to the FDA.

However, "current intake remains a significant public health concern," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said in a written statement.

There is no safe level of consumption of trans fat, Hamburg said. It has been shown to raise the "bad," or LDL, cholesterol.

"Through our efforts at product reformulation and the development of suitable alternatives, trans fats that are not naturally occurring have been drastically reduced in the food supply," the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents more than 300 food, beverage and consumer product companies, said in a prepared statement.

"Since 2005, food manufacturers have voluntarily lowered the amounts of trans fats in their food products by over 73%."

Other countries are also working to reduce trans fat in the food supply. Policies in Brazil, Costa Rica, Denmark, the Netherlands, South Korea and the United States have proved effective over the past two decades, the World Health Organization said in April. The WHO has called for eliminating trans fat from the global food supply.

The FDA has opened a 60-day comment period on the determination "to collect additional data and to gain input on the time potentially needed for food manufacturers to reformulate products that currently contain artificial trans fat should this determination be finalized," the agency said.

There are two phases to the process, FDA officials said Thursday. The agency will evaluate the comments and evidence received during the comment period.

"If we finalize our conclusion, then we are inviting comments from industry on what would be an appropriate phaseout," said Michael Taylor, the agency's deputy commissioner for foods.

"The timeline would be based on the comments we get. Given the public health impact, we want to move as quickly as we can."

The National Restaurant Association noted in a statement the industry's "tremendous strides" in reducing or eliminating trans fats.

"We plan to discuss the impact of this proposal on the industry and submit comments, and we will continue to work with our members and the manufacturing supply chain to address any new federal standards that may arise out of this process," said Joan McGlockton, the association's vice president of industry affairs and food policy.

Hamburg called Thursday's move "an important step toward protecting more Americans from the potential dangers of trans fat."

The American Heart Association, the American Medical Association and the Center for Science in the Public Interest were among those praising the move.

"The scientific evidence is clear -- eating food with trans fat increases production of 'bad' cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease," the AHA said.

So what should consumers do in the meantime? Choose products that have the lowest combined amount of saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat, the FDA said.

Under current regulations, companies can claim their food has 0 grams of trans fat if the food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, according to Mical Honigfort, a consumer safety officer at the FDA. But if partially hydrogenated oil is listed in the ingredients, there may still be a small amount of trans fat present.

Nancy Brown, the Heart Association's CEO, said she hopes the FDA goes a step further and revises labels for foods that are trans fat free.
 The preliminary determination was based on "available scientific evidence and the findings of expert scientific panels," the FDA said.

The determination covers only partially hydrogenated oils, not trans fat that naturally occurs in some meat and dairy products. Trans fat is also present at very low levels in other edible oils, such as fully hydrogenated oils, where it is "unavoidably produced during the manufacturing process," according to the FDA.

Avoiding foods containing artificially produced trans fat could prevent 10,000 to 20,000 heart attacks and 3,000 to 7,000 coronary heart disease deaths each year, according to one study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


"Artificial trans fat is a uniquely powerful promoter of heart disease, and today's announcement will hasten its eventual disappearance from the food supply," said Michael Jacobson, the Center for Science in the Public Interest's executive director. "Not only is artificial trans fat not safe, it's not remotely necessary. Many companies, large and small, have switched to healthier oils over the past decade. I hope that those restaurants and food manufacturers that still use this harmful ingredient see the writing on the wall and promptly replace it."

[via CNN Health]

Certain Summer Fruits Can Lower Your Heart Attack Risk

Thousands of research studies over the past decade have heralded the critical importance of eating a diet filled with flavonoids from a variety of brightly colored vegetables and fruits to help prevent and even treat many chronic illnesses. Most plants and fruits rely on flavonoid compounds for protection against the environment and to propagate and flourish. These same properties support human health by altering genetic expression and specifically targeting essential metabolic processes to ward off diseases such as cancer, dementia and the most prevalent killer of men and women, cardiovascular disease.

Anthocyanins from Eating Berries Dramatically Reduces Heart Attack Risk in Women

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health developed a study to analyze a specific sub-class of flavonoids, called anthocyanins, that has been shown to help dilate arteries, counter the buildup of plaque and provide other cardiovascular benefits. Publishing in the journal Circulation, the scientists found that women who ate at least three servings of blueberries and strawberries per week had significantly fewer heart attacks. Blueberries and strawberries contain high levels of anthocyanins that have shown cardiovascular benefits in past research studies.

Lead study author, Dr. Eric Rimm noted “Blueberries and strawberries can easily be incorporated into what women eat every week… this simple dietary change could have a significant impact on prevention efforts.” The researchers developed a cohort of 93,600 women nurses, aged between 25 and 42 who completed dietary questionnaires every four years for a period of 18 years.

Eat Three to Five Servings of Fresh Berries Daily to Benefit from Lowered Risk of Heart Attack

Over the course of the study review period, 405 women experienced a heart attack. The study team found that women who consumed the most blueberries and strawberries had a 32-percent reduction in their risk of heart attack as compared to women who ate the berries once a month or less. Interestingly, the results did not change in women who otherwise ate a diet rich in other fruits and vegetables, providing solid proof that the flavonoids provided by the berries were responsible for the heart attack risk reduction benefits.

The study authors concluded “We have shown that even at an early age, eating more of these fruits may reduce risk of a heart attack later in life.” The study results were independent of other risk factors, such as age, high blood pressure, family history of heart attack, body mass, exercise, smoking, caffeine or alcohol intake. While this study was conducting using a large sampling of women, eating between 3 and 5 servings of fresh berries each week can dramatically lower heart attack risk for men and women alike.

 [by John Phillip via Live in the Now]