Study explains why Mediterranean diet prevents heart disease
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Those who are not fans of statins such as vytorin may consider using the Mediterranean diet to reduce their risk of heart disease as new evidence from a small trial suggests the fatty acids present in olive oil, a key component of the diet, improve the cholesterol profile significantly in merely one month.
On the other hand, another new clinical trial found some evidence suggesting that taking cholesterol lowering drug vytorin, made by Merck, can help moderately cut risk of myocardial infarction, stroke and cardiac arrest in patients with chronic kidney disease. But early studies linked the drug with an increased risk of cancer and cancer related deaths.
For more information, read an early report on the trial.
Obviously, statins are not the options people can use to lower cholesterol. (High serum cholesterol levels are believed to contribute to heart risk, but some studies suggest that cholesterol may not be as important as calcium in terms of their roles in cardiovascular disease.)
It has been reported that a modified diet as the one used by Dr. Dean Ornish, a professor of the University of California - San Francisco and taking vitamin D supplements as many studies suggest, may more than likely help prevent heart disease.
One study published in the Nov 8, 2010 issue of Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests that using olive oil, which is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, may help improve cholesterol profiles.
The study led by Jenkins D.J. and colleagues found study participants who consumed a diet with high levels of monounsaturated fatty acids had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein or HDL or good cholesterol, compared with those who were not on the diet.
For the study, Jenkins et al. asked 24 patients with hyperlipidemia to consume a therapeutic diet very low in saturated fat for one month. After that, the subjects were randomly assigned to eat a diet either high or low in monounsaturated fatty acids for another month. All foods for the 2 months were provided by the research team.
Patients eating the dietary portfolio with high monounsaturared fat had HDL or good cholesterol increased, but those who were on the low monounsaturated fatty acids did not. The difference in the level of good cholesterol was 12.5 percent, which was statistically significant.
Additionally, those on the diet full of monounsaturated fatty acids reduced the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol compared with those who were on the low monounsaturated fat diet.
Additionally, a diet full of monounsaturated fat also significantly reduced concentrations of apolipoprotein AI and C-reactive protein, good signs for heart health, although no significant difference was found in triglycerides, other lipids or body weight, and mean weight loss between the two dietary regimens.
The researchers concluded "Monounsaturated fat increased the effectiveness of a cholesterol-lowering dietary portfolio, despite statin-like reductions in LDL cholesterol. The potential benefits for cardiovascular risk were achieved through increases in HDL cholesterol, further reductions in the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol and reductions in C-reactive protein."
There is no comparison between vytorin or other statins and this diet. But the Mediterranean diet, which contains high amounts of monounsaturated-fatty-acid-rich olive oil, has been associated with lower risk of heart disease in previous studies.
By David Liu and editing by Rachel Stockton
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