People take supplements for all kinds of reasons; you might take a multivitamin to boost your overall wellbeing, or you may prefer to take an antioxidant, such as polyphenol, to reduce the signs of ageing. However, this latter supplement packs more of a wellness punch that you might think; it improves heart health and may reduce your risk of heart disease.
This is according to a new study, presented at the American Heart Association’s Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2013 Scientific Sessions, which found that a diet low in grains, beans and certain vegetables can improve your blood vessel function when it is combined with “anti-ageing” supplements. Endothelial dysfunction, or blood vessel abnormality, happens when the cells lining the interior wall of your blood vessels malfunction. This is a serious wellness-harming condition that’s often one of the first signs of heart disease.
However, it’s not just the polyphenol supplements that improved endothelial function, but a diet which eliminated foods that you’d normally consider to be healthy. 200 participants, all of whom had risk factors for blood vessel disease and were between 51 and 86 years-old, a diet which restricted foods high in the sugar-binding protein lectin. This includes healthy foods such as grains, beans, fruit, poultry or plants belonging to the nightshade family, which includes tomatoes.
Steven R. Gundry, MD, lead author and medical director of the International Heart & Lung Institute at The Centre for Restorative Medicine in Palm Springs, California, commented, ‘These findings represent a fundamental paradigm shift in how the diseases of the “Western Diet” should be treated. Simple removal of ‘healthy’ lectin-containing foods, and taking a few inexpensive supplements, may restore endothelial function to normal, which in turn can reverse high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.’
However, even though the research revealed that this combination of a lectin-restricted diet and anti-ageing supplements worked to restore endothelial function, that is not to say that you should eliminate tomatoes or other healthy foods from your diet. The American Heart Association warns that, unless your doctor informs you otherwise, it is recommended that you consume a diet which contains plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish.
