A diet low in grains, beans and certain vegetables - combined with anti-ageing supplements - improves blood vessel function, a new study has found.
A diet low in grains, beans and certain vegetables - combined with "anti-ageing" supplements - improves blood vessel function, a new study has found. The blood vessel abnormality, or endothelial dysfunction, occurs when cells lining the interior wall of blood vessels malfunction.
It's a serious condition that's often one of the first signs of heart disease.
Of the 200 51- to 86-year-old people in the study presented at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2013 Scientific Sessions, 40 percent were women.
All had risk factors for blood vessel disease and nearly three-quarters had endothelial dysfunction.
The diet restricted foods high in the sugar-binding protein lectin, generally regarded as a healthy nutrient.
The restricted foods included grains, beans, fruit, poultry and plants belonging to the nightshade family, which includes tomatoes.
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"These findings represent a fundamental paradigm shift in how the diseases of the 'Western Diet' should be treated," Steven R. Gundry, M.D., lead author and medical director of the International Heart and Lung Institute at The Center for Restorative Medicine in Palm Springs, California said.
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Despite the study's findings, consumers shouldn't eliminate tomatoes or other healthy foods from their diets, said the American Heart Association, which recommends consuming a diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and fish.
Source-ANI