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Saturday 21 July 2018

Study first to show that low-carb diets can improve blood flow in as little as four weeks


Saw this article quite recently and thought it one to share …

"While Men Lose More Weight on Low-carb Diets, Women Show Greater Improvements in Artery Flexibility.

Study first to show that low-carb diets can improve blood flow in as little as four weeks.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 1 out of 3 American adults live with higher than normal blood sugar levels known as prediabetes. Researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine recently found that while men may lose more weight on low-carb diets, women actually see better improvements in artery flexibility. It’s a finding that may help pre-diabetic women reduce their risk for heart disease through a low-carb diet.

“Previous research has shown that as women age, their blood vessels stiffen more so than men, putting them at an increased risk of heart disease,” said Elizabeth Parks, PhD, professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at MU. “Contrary to what you may think, you actually don’t want stiff blood vessels. Rather, you want flexible vessels that expand slowly as the blood flows through them. Our study found that low-carb diets helped reduce the stiffness of arteries in women, which can, in turn, reduce their risk of developing serious heart conditions.”

To illustrate this, Parks compares good vessels to be like a rubber hose and aging causing vessels to become stiff, similar to a plastic pipe. When you pour water through a rubber hose, the hose bends and flexes as the water makes its way through. When you pour water through a solid pipe, the water travels through the pipe quickly. In the human body, for good health, we want flexible, pliable, resilient arteries.

As part of the study, 20 middle-aged, pre-diabetic men and women were given carb-restricted meals provided by the MU Nutrition Centre for Health for two weeks and were supplied meal planning instructions for an additional two weeks. Over the four-week period, the men in the study lost 6.3 percent of their body weight, while women lost 4.4 percent. However, using an arterial stiffness measurement called pulse wave velocity, the women showed reduced blood flow speeds of 1 meter per second, while men showed no changes in blood flow speed.

“Vascular stiffness is a natural process of aging that can be accelerated by obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome,” said Parks, who also serves as associate director of the MU Clinical Research Centre. “Our study is the first to demonstrate that weight loss can reduce arterial stiffness in as little as four weeks and that dietary carbohydrate restriction may be an effective treatment for reducing aortic stiffness in women.”

The study, “Effect of carbohydrate restriction-induced weight loss on aortic pulse wave velocity in overweight men and women,” recently was published online by Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. In addition to Parks, study authors also include Majid Syed-Abdul, Qiong Hu, Miriam Jacome-Sosa, Jaume Padilla and Camila Manrique-Acevedo with the MU School of Medicine. Colette Heimowitz, an expert in low-carb diets from the company, Atkins Nutritionals, was also an author. The study was funded by the University of Missouri and Atkins Nutritional, who also provided some of the foods subjects ate. Parks is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Atkins Nutritionals Inc, led by Heimowitz. Neither conducted data collection and remained blinded during data analysis. The other study authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agencies."

Words and picture from original article here
Couldn't you just tuck into some of that lovely looking food!

All the best Jan

20 comments:

Valerie-Jael said...

This is really astonishing. Hugs, Valerie

Anonymous said...

Interesting and delicious looking food :)

Anonymous said...

now thats something eye opening for certain!

roughterrain crane said...

All the blood vessels have no time to take a rest. Your post is always highly suggestive. Happy sunday to you.

Dewena said...

I was surprised to note that this week I served every single thing in the picture above. However, I also made chili-basil rice recipe one night. So good, and I wish I could come up with something to replace it that would healthily satisfy that carb craving for rice. All the other ingredients in it were fine: onion and serrano peppers, ginger, broth, basil leaves, lime juice. chopped peanuts on top probably weren't the best thing but I could leave that off. So what to replace the rice with? Is quinoa a carb? I could certainly like all the other ingredients with that!

RO said...

That's pretty fascinating, and another great reason for me to stick with low carbs! Happy Saturday and Hugs...RO

William Kendall said...

Thanks for sharing!

Lowcarb team member said...

Dewena asks:
"So what to replace the rice with? Is quinoa a carb?"

Hello Dewena, many thanks for your comments and questions.

As you may know, Eddie and I live the LCHF lifestyle, so we have replaced rice with either cauliflower rice, see here
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2014/02/featured-food-of-day-cauliflower.html

Or cauliflower couscous, see here
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2016/08/have-you-tried-cauliflower-couscous.html

With regard to quinoa … I do not cook with it, but I know many who do.
It comes down to personal preference, health issues etc.
There are a lot of details regarding quinoa within this very good article here
https://www.perfectketo.com/is-quinoa-low-carb/

Speaking personally … for us, we find that quinoa is a bit too high in carbs for our LCHF lifestyle.

I always say that, within this blog there are a variety of articles and recipes ideas, and it is important to note, not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

But, I do hope this additional information helps you, and other readers too.

My good wishes, and enjoy the remainder of the weekend.

All the best Jan

Elephant's Child said...

When did we step away from 'real food'. And why? Sigh.

Christine said...

Thanks for sharing Jan.

Lowcarb team member said...

Elephant's Child said:
"When did we step away from 'real food'. And why? Sigh"

Many thanks for your comment, and perhaps it's not an easy answer! So many factors led so many of us away from eating real whole, healthy foods …

One book that we first discovered in 2011 and does answer many questions about eating 'the Worlds Heathiest Foods' can be seen here
https://thelowcarbdiabetic.blogspot.com/2011/03/worlds-healthiest-foods-book.html

"The George Mateljan Foundation for The World's Healthiest Foods

The George Mateljan Foundation for the World's Healthiest Foods was established by George Mateljan to discover, develop and share scientifically proven information about the benefits of healthy eating, and to provide the personalized support individuals need to make eating The World's Healthiest Foods enjoyable, easy, quick and affordable.

Our Independent Perspective
The Foundation is not-for-profit so we can offer an independent perspective that is not influenced by commercial interests. Our only purpose is to help you discover the many joys and benefits of healthy eating. We believe that the Foundation's independent perspective can help provide clear and easy-to-understand knowledge on how people of all ages and backgrounds can achieve and maintain their optimum physical, mental and emotional health and well-being.

Our Beliefs
The Foundation believes that true good health is more than just the absence of disease; it is a state where you enjoy all the energy, vitality and benefits life has to offer. One of the keys to achieving good health is to use the power of healthy foods to positively affect how you feel, how much energy you have, and the length and quality of your life. There is clear and definitive scientific evidence that proper nutrition plays an important and significant role in reducing the risk of degenerative diseases, and in providing long-term health and longevity.

We also believe that food not only has the power to provide good health, it also has the power to provide the pure joy of eating, and the joy of sharing with others. We recognize that each individual is unique, so we don't try to fit everyone into the same "food formula." Instead, we respect individuality and provide a wide variety of healthy food options. That way each individual can discover the personalized information, recipes, cooking methods and menu plans to meet his or her needs.

Our Mission
The Foundation's mission is to offer the latest scientific information about the benefits of the World's Healthiest Foods and the specific nutrients they provide. Equally important, we offer practical, simple and affordable ways to enjoy them that fit your individual lifestyle.

Our Focus
Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine said, "Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food." The George Mateljan Foundation shares that goal and focuses on helping you use the power of food to achieve and maintain good health and the prevention of disease. Because George has devoted his life to discovering and understanding the benefits of healthy eating, he wants to share that knowledge with you. The Foundation's focus is to make the benefits and the true enjoyment of healthy foods easy, quick and affordable for you. "

http://www.whfoods.com/whoweare.php

All the best Jan

carol l mckenna said...

Wonderfully informative post ~ thanks!

Happy Day to you,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I apologize for not visiting lately. I have really been under the weather. Ii think this is a wonderful bit of research and quite nicely detailed, too.

Conniecrafter said...

Oh great we as women are having a disadvantage, I am wondering if that is happening in my situation, I am feeling a little different here lately, I don't have bad sugar levels but still fill like my heart may not be pumping right, probably just out of shape, with this extreme heat we have had I haven't gotten out and got good exercise so when I do it is like starting over each time.

Linda said...

Wow, that's a dramatic improvement!

Phil Slade said...

I really must try harder but I do enjoy my spuds and pasta. Perhaps I'll just try to eat less otherwise I would struggle. Like many I guess.

Sue said...

What a great article, I'm not diabetic, but have a family history of bad veins, so this is definitely something to bare in mind x

Snowbird said...

That is certainly interesting!xxx

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

I'll be sure my wife reads this.

I'm trying to get her 'more low-carb' ... oh...my meat and potato girl.

Magic Love Crow said...

This is really interesting! Thanks Jan!