Do high dietary intakes of trans fats really promote cardiovascular disease?November 18, 1999From his assessment of the studies, Dr John Stanley says the conclusion that trans fatty acids promote cardiovascular disease is premature for the following reasons. First, although prospective cohort studies show an association with cardiovascular disease, trans fatty acids are estimated rather than measured. They may also be markers for some other nutrient that affects cardiovascular disease risk. Second, although many intervention trials seem to show a detrimental effect of trans fatty acids on the blood lipid profile, much depends on the comparison used. When trans fatty acids are compared with oleic acid, total and LDL-cholesterol levels (so-called "bad" cholesterol) are higher; when they are compared with palmitic acid they are lower; and when they are compared with stearic acid they are the same. To be set against this argument is the finding that HDL-cholesterol levels ("good" cholesterol) are lower regardless of the comparison. LDL/HDL ratios are sometimes calculated to allow for this. However, the validity of this ratio remains to be established. Many intervention trials have studied unrealistic intakes of trans fatty acids. Third, partially-hydrogenated fish oil is worse for the blood lipid profile than partially-hydrogenated soybean oil. Clearly, some products of hydrogenation are worse than others. Finally, when tested as part of a real food such as a fat spread, the detrimental effects of trans fatty acids can be more than compensated for by the other fatty acids present in the food. However, this should not discourage us from trying to optimize the fatty acid composition of a food. In many ways these reservations reflect the difficulty of designing human nutritional trials which generate clear-cut answers. For example, given the numbers of subjects involved in epidemiological studies and their duration some sympathy can be felt for investigators obliged to estimate rather than measure nutrient intakes. However, the defects in these studies should encourage us to be cautious in drawing conclusions about health effects of trans fatty acids. PJ Barnes & Associates |
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| Related Cholesterol Current Events and Cholesterol News Articles Genetic analysis helps dissect molecular basis of cardiovascular disease Using highly precise measurements of plasma lipoprotein concentrations determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), researchers led by Daniel Chasman at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA, the Framingham Heart Study in Framingham, and the PROCARDIS consortium in Stockholm, Sweden and Oxford, England performed genetic association analysis across the whole genome among 17,296 women of European ancestry from the Women's Genome Health Study. New understanding about mechanism for cell death after stroke leads to possible therapy Scientists at the Brain Research Centre, a partnership of the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, have uncovered new information about the mechanism by which brain cells die following a stroke, as well as a possible way to mitigate that damage. Dispensing prescription drugs in 3-month supplies reduces drug costs by a third Purchasing prescription drugs in a three-month supply rather than a one-month supply has long been regarded as a way to reduce the cost of drugs for patients and third-party payers. New research from the University of Chicago quantifies the savings for the first time. The Protein Srebp2 Drives Cholesterol Formation in Prion-Infected Neuronal Cells Which May Promote Prion-Dependent Diseases The regulating protein Srebp2 drives cholesterol formation, which prions need for their propagation, in prion-infected neuronal cells. Pivotal study for PSD502 -- the first potential treatment for premature ejaculation At the annual meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA), Inc. in San Diego, Sciele Pharma, Inc., a Shionogi Company and Plethora Solutions Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Plethora Solutions Holdings PLC ("Plethora" - AIM:PLE)., today presented data from its second positive pivotal study of PSD502 for the treatment of premature ejaculation (PE). Night Beat, Overtime and a Disrupted Sleep Pattern Can Harm Officers' Health A police officer who works the night shift, typically from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., already is at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a good "night's" sleep. Vitamin B niacin offers no extra benefit to statin therapy in seniors already diagnosed with CAD The routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study from Johns Hopkins experts shows. Heart and bone damage from low vitamin D tied to declines in sex hormones Researchers at Johns Hopkins are reporting what is believed to be the first conclusive evidence in men that the long-term ill effects of vitamin D deficiency are amplified by lower levels of the key sex hormone estrogen, but not testosterone. Early end to key study on benefits of niacin, a B vitamin, in keeping arteries open was premature Heart experts at Johns Hopkins are calling premature the early halt of a study by researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Washington Hospital Center on the benefits of combining extended-release niacin, a B vitamin, with cholesterol-lowering statin medications to prevent blood vessel narrowing. oo much selenium can increase your cholesterol A new study from the University of Warwick has discovered taking too much of the essential mineral selenium in your diet can increase your cholesterol by almost 10%. More Cholesterol Current Events and Cholesterol News Articles |
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