Re: Salutory cardiovascular effects of walnuts

[Guest guest]

--- In , " mikesheldrick " <mike@s...>

wrote:

> Of interest to those not entirely avoiding ALA--

>

> PMID: 15037535 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> Lipid Clinic at the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, Institut

.....

>

> PMID: 15037535 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Hi All,

Walnuts had additional heart health benefits, I belive.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?

cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstract & list_uids=15037535

http://tinyurl.com/5fy4b

Would suffice and provide us with the full abstract, including the

jounal and author citations.

Cheers, Al Pater.

[Guest guest]

Hi Mike:

First, it is probably impossible, and certainly pointless to attempt,

to 'entirely avoid' ALA. But rather, imo, it may be a good idea for

males to try to avoid the more prolific sources of it.

Second, so far as I know there is no dispute about the beneficial

effects of ALA on CVD. The problem with ALA appears to be its

promotion of prostate cancer.

Since there are many other ways we here all know about, to

dramatically reduce CVD risk (among them: CR; Portfolio Diet;

Pritikin Diet; Ornish Program; statins; eating fish) perhaps it is

better to use those other ways for CVD prevention, rather than to

consume significant quantities of something that appears to

approximately double the risk of a very common form of cancer for

that purpose.

But we are all over 21 here : ^ )))

Rodney.

--- In , " mikesheldrick " <mike@s...>

wrote:

> Of interest to those not entirely avoiding ALA--

>

> PMID: 15037535 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> Lipid Clinic at the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, Institut

> d'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer, Hospital Clinic,

> Barcelona, Spain. eros@c...

>

> BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies suggest that nut intake

> decreases coronary artery disease (CAD) risk. Nuts have a

> cholesterol-lowering effect that partly explains this benefit.

> Endothelial dysfunction is associated with CAD and its risk factors

> and is reversed by antioxidants and marine n-3 fatty acids. Walnuts

> are a rich source of both antioxidants and alpha-linolenic acid, a

> plant n-3 fatty acid. METHODS AND RESULTS: To test the hypothesis

> that walnut intake will reverse endothelial dysfunction, we

> randomized in a crossover design 21 hypercholesterolemic men and

> women to a cholesterol-lowering Mediterranean diet and a diet of

> similar energy and fat content in which walnuts replaced

> approximately 32% of the energy from monounsaturated fat.

> Participants followed each diet for 4 weeks. After each

> intervention, we obtained fasting blood and performed ultrasound

> measurements of brachial artery vasomotor function. Eighteen

> subjects completing the protocol had suitable ultrasound studies.

> Compared with the Mediterranean diet, the walnut diet improved

> endothelium-dependent vasodilation and reduced levels of vascular

> cell adhesion molecule-1 (P<0.05 for both). Endothelium-independent

> vasodilation and levels of intercellular adhesion molecule-1, C-

> reactive protein, homocysteine, and oxidation biomarkers were

> similar after each diet. The walnut diet significantly reduced

total

> cholesterol (-4.4+/-7.4%) and LDL cholesterol (-6.4+/-10.0%)

(P<0.05

> for both). Cholesterol reductions correlated with increases of both

> dietary alpha-linolenic acid and LDL gamma-tocopherol content, and

> changes of endothelium-dependent vasodilation correlated with those

> of cholesterol-to-HDL ratios (P<0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS:

> Substituting walnuts for monounsaturated fat in a Mediterranean

diet

> improves endothelium-dependent vasodilation in hypercholesterolemic

> subjects. This finding might explain the cardioprotective effect of

> nut intake beyond cholesterol lowering.

>

> Publication Types:

> Clinical Trial

> Randomized Controlled Trial

>

> PMID: 15037535 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

[Guest guest]

--- In , " Rodney " <perspect1111@y...>

wrote:

> Hi Mike:

>

> First, it is probably impossible, and certainly pointless to

attempt,

> to 'entirely avoid' ALA. But rather, imo, it may be a good idea

for

> males to try to avoid the more prolific sources of it.

>

> Second, so far as I know there is no dispute about the beneficial

> effects of ALA on CVD. The problem with ALA appears to be its

> promotion of prostate cancer.

>

> Since there are many other ways we here all know about, to

> dramatically reduce CVD risk (among them: CR; Portfolio Diet;

> Pritikin Diet; Ornish Program; statins; eating fish) perhaps it is

> better to use those other ways for CVD prevention, rather than to

> consume significant quantities of something that appears to

> approximately double the risk of a very common form of cancer for

> that purpose.

....

> > Lipid Clinic at the Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, Institut

> > PMID: 15037535 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Hi All,

The endothelium of the cardiovascular system is important

to our health and appeared to be better than for the control

group in the WUSTL studies.

For endothelium function, Dean at the 2003 CR meeting

has in his notes:

" Carotid arteries thickness – less on CR, raw foodists, and vegans

than controls – lower risk of heart disease.

CR people (but not vegans or raw foodists) have significantly lower

artery stiffness than controls. "

Pdf-available is the below paper not archived previously.

Walnuts are suggested to be better when used instead

of olive oil.

Below the abstract, I included what I thought may be significant

for our consideration of the paper. Only those values found to be

different significantly are presented here.

Circulation. 2004 Apr 6;109(13):1609-14. Epub 2004 Mar 22.

A walnut diet improves endothelial function in hypercholesterolemic

subjects: a

randomized crossover trial.

Ros E, Nunez I, -Heras A, Serra M, Gilabert R, Casals E,

Deulofeu R.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies suggest that nut intake

decreases coronary

artery disease (CAD) risk. Nuts have a cholesterol-lowering effect

that partly

explains this benefit. Endothelial dysfunction is associated with CAD

and its

risk factors and is reversed by antioxidants and marine n-3 fatty

acids. Walnuts

are a rich source of both antioxidants and alpha-linolenic acid, a

plant n-3

fatty acid.

METHODS AND RESULTS: To test the hypothesis that walnut intake

will

reverse endothelial dysfunction, we randomized in a crossover design

21

hypercholesterolemic men and women to a cholesterol-lowering

Mediterranean diet

and a diet of similar energy and fat content in which walnuts replaced

approximately 32% of the energy from monounsaturated fat.

Participants followed

each diet for 4 weeks. ... Compared with the Mediterranean diet, the

walnut diet improved

endothelium-dependent vasodilation and reduced levels of vascular

cell adhesion

molecule-1 (P<0.05 for both). Endothelium-independent vasodilation

and levels of

intercellular adhesion molecule-1, C-reactive protein, homocysteine,

and

oxidation biomarkers were similar after each diet. The walnut diet

significantly

reduced total cholesterol (-4.4+/-7.4%) and LDL cholesterol (-6.4+/-

10.0%)

(P<0.05 for both). Cholesterol reductions correlated with increases

of both

dietary alpha-linolenic acid and LDL gamma-tocopherol content, and

changes of

endothelium-dependent vasodilation correlated with those of

cholesterol-to-HDL

ratios (P<0.05 for all).

CONCLUSIONS: Substituting walnuts for monounsaturated

fat in a Mediterranean diet improves endothelium-dependent

vasodilation in

hypercholesterolemic subjects. This finding might explain the

cardioprotective

effect of nut intake beyond cholesterol lowering.

PMID: 15037535 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

....

Vegetable products and fish were emphasized, and red and processed

meats, whole-fat dairy products, and eggs were limited. The walnut

diet was similar to the control diet, but walnuts partially replaced

olive oil and other monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA)–rich foods

such as olives and avocados (no nuts other than walnuts in the walnut

diet were allowed during the study). Prepackaged daily allowances

of raw, shelled walnuts were provided daily in amounts varying from

40 to 65 g (equivalent to 8 to 13 walnuts), according to the

participants' total energy intake. Walnuts were consumed as snacks

or with meals in desserts or salads. In the walnut diet, walnuts

contributed ~18% of the total energy and replaced 32% of the

energy obtained from MUFA in the control diet.

...

TABLE 1. Composition of ... Actually Observed Study Diets

Variables for walnut versus Mediterranean diet significantly

different

Variable

Energy, kcal/d

Fat, % energy

SFA

MUFA > Less, p=0.001

PUFA > More, p=0.001

Linoleic (C18:2n-6) > More, p=0.001

alpha-Linolenic (C18:3n-3) > More, p=0.001

Marine n-3 PUFA

Protein, % energy

Carbohydrates, % energy

Cholesterol, mg/d > Less, p=0.001

Soluble fiber, g/d

...

Table 3. [Variables significantly different

for walnuts versus Mediterrean diet]

Body weight

Blood pressure

Systolic

Diastolic

Cholesterol, mmol/L

Total > less, p=0.017

LDL >less, p=0.001

VLDL

Triglycerides

ApoAI, g/L

ApoB, g/L

Ratios

Total:HDL cholesterol

LDL:HDL cholesterol > 2.91+/-0.68 versus 3.08+/-0.78, p=0.061

Lipoprotein(a), g/L

Oxidation analytes

LDL

alpha-tocopherol, nmol/mg protein LDL > less, p=0.007

gamma-tocopherol, nmol/mg protein > more, p=0.005

Lag time of LDL

CD production, min

Oxidized LDL, U/L

Malondialdehyde, nmol/L

Folic acid, ng/mL

Homocysteine

...

Acknowledgments

Financial support was provided by grants from the California Walnut

Commission, Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS 00/0992 and ISCIII

Red G03/140), and Fundació Privada Catalana de Nutrició i Lípids.

Cheers, Alan Pater