People who have a regular daily diet have such an experience, usually accustomed to coarse tea and light rice, light diet, and occasionally eat big fish and meat, but also feel that it is a burden on the body.
Indeed, arterial arteriosclerosis is one of the important causes of cardiovascular disease. However, in daily life, people who have a greasy meal from time to time are more likely to harden their blood vessels!
People who eat like this are more likely to harden their blood vessels!
In September 2024, researchers from the Center for Cardiovascular Research in Paris, France, published a study in the journal Nature, which found that compared with a continuous high-fat diet, an occasional intermittent high-fat diet accelerated atherosclerosis!
Screenshot of the study
Researchers have found that in intermittent high-fat diets, cells produce inflammatory signals that lead to increased levels of neutrophils, which exacerbates atherosclerosis.
The researchers randomly divided the mice into two groups and fed them differently:
Group I: Feed an intermittent high-fat diet
Group 2: Feed a continuous high-fat diet
By analyzing the effects of different dietary patterns on atherosclerosis in mice. The study found that the cumulative cholesterol burden was similar in both groups, but the "first group with occasional intermittent high-fat diets" caused cholesterol levels to change over time, leading to fluctuations in blood lipids.
Surprisingly, the intermittent high-fat diet exacerbated the development of atherosclerosis and induced more severe plaques in mice compared to a continuous high-fat diet.
However, this is not just a mouse experiment. On the same day, researchers from the University of Cambridge in United Kingdom published another study in the journal Nature (Nature) also showed that high blood lipids in youth, especially blood lipid fluctuations, are important determinants of accelerating atherosclerosis, which is more dangerous than high blood lipids in later years!
Screenshot of the study
The researchers analyzed data from the Finland Youth Cardiovascular Risk Study, a cohort that followed children to adults for decades, with more than 2,000 people undergoing carotid ultrasound scans around the ages of 30 and 50. After analysis, it was found that people with high cholesterol at a young age tend to have the largest plaques, which further proves the above results.
Arteriosclerosis begins at the age of 30, and these 3 vascular alarm signs to know
When a person is born, the blood vessels are like new water pipes in a new house. The blood vessels are very smooth, the thickness of the tube wall is moderate, and the blood flow is also smooth, without any blood lipid deposits. Blood vessels are elastic and flexible, like rubber bands. However, just like a water pipe, it is inevitable that things will be deposited in the blood vessels over time.
Since the teenage years, cholesterol begins to deposit under the arterial endothelium, forming streaks of fat, but this is not a hardened plaque. By the age of 20~30, some people already have arterial plaque sclerosis, which is like planting an "irregular" bomb in the blood vessels. After entering middle age, the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and stroke will increase rapidly.
There are no symptoms in the early stage of arteriosclerosis, but there are 3 warning signs in the advanced stage of arteriosclerosis: pain, abnormal skin color, and numbness of limbs!
1. Pain
Pain is no stranger to patients with cardiovascular disease, because various vascular diseases can cause pain, so pain is an "alarm signal".
2. Abnormal skin color
The color of the skin is often abnormal in vascular disease, the pallor of the skin may be due to ischemia due to arterial occlusion, the bruising is venous stasis, and phlebitis is the redness of the skin.
3. Numbness of the limbs
Some of the more obvious symptoms after the blood vessel problem is the numbness of the limbs, and the numbness of the limbs is also related to the damage of the blood vessels.
To prevent atherosclerosis, eat like this!
How to prevent atherosclerosis through diet? A 2021 study published in Cardiovascular Research, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology, analyzed the effects of various foods on atherosclerosis.
1. Meat: Eat in moderation
Red meat (i.e., beef, pork, lamb, etc.) and processed meat significantly increased cardiovascular risk, while moderate consumption of poultry meat had no significant effect on cardiovascular risk. Therefore, it is recommended that processed meat should only be eaten occasionally, and red meat should be limited. White meat (chicken, duck, etc.) can be eaten in moderation, i.e. no more than 3 servings per week (100 grams per serving).
2 eggs: Eat 1 per day
Current evidence suggests that eggs can be consumed in moderation per week, with 1 egg per day. The mainland dietary guidelines also recommend eating 280~350 grams of eggs per week (about one egg per day).
3 Dairy products: one glass of milk per day
Drink a glass of milk a day and eat 3 small servings (50 grams per serving) of cheese per week, including 1 serving (200 grams) of yogurt per day. Whether it is whole milk or low-fat milk, moderate consumption of milk in a balanced diet does not increase cardiovascular risk.
4Legumes: no more than 720 grams per week
Beans are high in protein and rich in dietary fiber, which is beneficial to blood lipids as well as postprandial blood sugar and insulin responses. In addition, beans are rich in a variety of bioactive components that improve cardiometabolic health, with no more than 720 grams per week.
5 Nuts: Eat 30 grams per day
Nuts are rich in dietary fiber and are also a good source of linoleic acid. It is recommended to consume 30 grams of nuts per day, which can promote cardiovascular health.
6Whole Grains: 1~2 servings per day
Whole grains helped reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, with an 8% lower risk of death from coronary heart disease for every 30g/day increase in the consumption of whole grains. Therefore, in order to reduce the intake of high glycemic index cereals, it is possible to choose to replace high glycemic index cereals with low glycemic index grains as staple foods. It is recommended to consume 1~2 servings of whole grains per day.
7 Vegetable oil: 25~30 grams per day
Foods rich in saturated fats can increase the risk of atherosclerosis, so reduce butter, animal fats and tropical oils (palm oil, coconut oil, etc.) in your daily diet. In contrast, nontropical vegetable oils such as olive, soybean, sunflower, and corn oils are healthier than butter and other animal fats or tropical oils that are rich in saturated fats.
8Table salt: less than 5 grams per day
Each 1 gram increase in dietary sodium intake was associated with a 6% increased risk of cardiovascular disease. It is recommended that healthy adults consume an average of less than 5g of salt per day.
9 Drinks: It is best to drink plain water
Sugar-sweetened beverages contain a lot of fructose, and the intake of fructose can adversely affect blood lipids as well as blood sugar. Studies have found that consuming a 250ml of sugar-sweetened beverage per day is associated with a 15%~22% increased risk of coronary heart disease. Therefore, the best drink is water.
10. Coffee, tea: no more than 3 cups
For healthy people, moderate consumption of coffee and tea has a positive effect on the body. Tea, especially green tea, is high in catechins, which have antioxidant properties, help regulate blood lipids, reduce vascular inflammation, atherosclerosis, and thrombosis. It is recommended to consume coffee or tea in moderation up to a maximum of 3 cups per day.
bibliography
[1] Lavillegrand, JR., Al-Rifai, R., Thietart, S.et al. Alternating high-fat diet enhances atherosclerosis by neutrophil reprogramming. Nature(2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07693-6
[2] Takaoka, M., Zhao, X., Lim, H.Y.et al. Early intermittent hyperlipidaemia alters tissue macrophages to fuel atherosclerosis. Nature(2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07993-x
[3] 2014-11-15The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University "After the age of 30, beware of arteriosclerosis"
[4] Gabriele Riccardi ,AnnalisaGiosuè , et al . Dietary recommendations for prevention of atherosclerosis. Cardiovasc Res, 6 Jul 2021.
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