Designer food as medicine.
WHAT YOU EAT CAN AFFECT YOUR CHOLESTEROL. Today’s post is a peek into a future in which designer food serves as medicine. Researchers recently created snacks high in specific ingredients that reduced “bad” LDL cholesterol, even when the subjects did not otherwise alter their diet or lifestyle.
Let me make this clear: I am a fan of eating well. While there is undoubtedly a role for medicines, many have not optimized our lifestyles. I remain excited about my four pillars of health, including diet, sleep, movement, and mindfulness.
I wish we did not live in a world where we need designer foods to improve health measures such as cholesterol. But unfortunately, so many of us don’t optimize lifestyle (or have a strong genetic propensity to have come health problems).
Disclosures
I don’t think we should look at the new study results before looking at the research funding. Primary funding came from Manitoba (Canada) province, and Step One Foods supplied the food and additional money. The California Walnut Board contributed walnuts for the intervention foods. Finally, a study author consults with Prime Therapeutics and receives research support through Tru Health.
Food and health
What we choose to consume has significant effects on our health. Some foods trigger chronic health conditions such as heart attack or stroke, while others appear to have risk-reducing properties.
The latter include components of a Mediterranean diet – think fruits, vegetables, modest meat consumption, and a splash of olive oil. In this sense, food is medicine. Of course, for some, diet interventions alone are no substitute for prescribed medicines.
Diet is not a panacea. Even though it can help us dodge some chronic diseases, modern medicines can play essential roles in achieving longevity and a longer healthspan.
Whole, nutritious foods are chock full of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, protein, and fats, promoting health and optimizing your body’s functioning.
For example, the American Heart Association reminds us that a healthy diet and lifestyle are the keys to preventing and managing cardiovascular disease.
DesignER food as medicine
Doctors often prescribe β-hydroxy-β-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors for high cholesterol. That’s a mouthful: You may know these drugs like statins.
Unfortunately, many who might benefit from them are unable or unwilling to take them. I have chosen lifestyle interventions to keep my lipids reasonably low, although they remain slightly above normal. No statins for me so far.
Recognizing statins are not the answer for all, researchers from the Mayo Clinic (USA) and the University of Manitoba (Canada) wondered whether they could design a snack from cholesterol-lowering food ingredients as an alternative to prescribed medicines.
The primary objective? The scientists wanted to see if they could use ready-to-eat snack items to decrease “bad” LDL cholesterol in patients reluctant to take statin medicines.
The researchers randomized volunteers to 2 regimens, each lasting four weeks (separated by a four-week washout period). The subjects consumed a variety of ready-to-eat snacks twice daily to substitute for something they were already consuming.
The designer snacks contained the following, per serving:
- 5 grams or more of fiber
- 1000 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids
- 1000 milligrams of phytosterols
- 1800 μmol antioxidants
The control products consisted of calorie-matched like-items obtained from a general grocery store. The researchers checked compliance via blood levels of 18:3n–3 (an essential fatty acid) concentrations.
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