The False Notion of Every Food within Mediterranean Diet Being Healthy

There are many people who think that everything that is eaten in the traditional Mediterranean diet is healthy. However, olive oil that is commonly consumed in such a diet has been found to dilate and damage the endothelium(one-cell lining of blood vessels), which allows plaque to build up and constrict the blood vessels that can lead to heart disease and heart attacks.


Best Heart Benefits From Canola and Fish Oils -- Not Olive Oil
http://connecticare.com/GlobalFiles/HealthNews/article.asp?ID=091e9c5e8000735f&Cat=0&Num=6

"The olive oil meal caused vessels to constrict by 34%, whereas the canola oil and salmon meals caused insignificant changes in blood vessels, Vogel reports. Because such constrictions injure the blood vessels' endothelium, they contribute to heart disease."


What Is Atherosclerosis?
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/atherosclerosis/

"Atherosclerosis (ath-er-o-skler-O-sis) is a disease in which plaque (plak) builds up inside your arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other parts of your body.

Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances found in the blood. Over time, plaque hardens and narrows your arteries. This limits the flow of oxygen-rich blood to your organs and other parts of your body.

Atherosclerosis can lead to serious problems, including heart attack, stroke, or even death."

The omega 3 fatty acids from foods such as fish in the diet can improve the endothelial function, and therefore prevent the olive oil from constricting and damaging the endothelium.

Effect of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on endothelial function: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22317966

"Supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids significantly improves the endothelial function without affecting endothelium-independent dilation."

Olive oil taken without omega 3 fatty acids would be detrimental. People who assume that every food found within the traditional Mediterranean diet are mistaken.

The postprandial effect of components of the Mediterranean diet on endothelial function.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11079642

"CONCLUSIONS: In terms of their postprandial effect on endothelial function, the beneficial components of the Mediterranean and Lyon Diet Heart Study diets appear to be antioxidant-rich foods, including vegetables, fruits, and their derivatives such as vinegar, and omega-3-rich fish and canola oils."

Beneficial fats that contain high amounts of omega 3 can be found in foods like tofu, soya beans, soybean oil, soymilk, flaxseeds, walnuts etc. A good balance of omega 3 and 6 is already found in soybeans but if one can choose to consume flaxseeds to gain more omega 3 fats. 

Necessary Fat Intake For Proper Brain and Blood Vessel Function

The brain is made up 60% of fat and fat is very necessary to be consumed to ensure proper brain functions. Vegan diet groups like 30 BAD(bananas a day) have gotten the wrong biased view that fat should be avoided for the sake of weight loss, and I realize that their level of bias seems to relate very accurately to their low level of food and health intelligence. Other health diet preachers who have appeared in food documentaries have gotten the biased view that all oils are detrimental for the endothelial cells in the blood vessels but this is not true, it is only olive oil that has been found to pose such a problem.

There is science research that has found olive oil to be able to dilate blood vessels possibly due to the polyphenols that have an astringent effect. So people who have problems with their blood vessels might be wise to avoid olive oil and take other kinds of fat.

Dr Vogel's research properly explains how olive oil can significantly injure the endothelium and that the effects of other oils used in the research such as canola oil had insignificant effects on the endothelium.

http://connecticare.com/GlobalFiles/HealthNews/article.asp?ID=091e9c5e8000735f&Cat=0&Num=6

"The olive oil meal caused vessels to constrict by 34%, whereas the canola oil and salmon meals caused insignificant changes in blood vessels, Vogel reports. Because such constrictions injure the blood vessels' endothelium, they contribute to heart disease."


The postprandial effect of components of the Mediterranean diet on endothelial function.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11079642

"CONCLUSIONS: In terms of their postprandial effect on endothelial function, the beneficial components of the Mediterranean and Lyon Diet Heart Study diets appear to be antioxidant-rich foods, including vegetables, fruits, and their derivatives such as vinegar, and omega-3-rich fish and canola oils."

Since Dr Vogel's research has found that oils such as canola "caused insignificant changes in blood vessels", other oils such as flaxseed and hemp oils should be alright to consume. Oils rich in omega 3 has been found to improve endothelium function.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22317966
Effect of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on endothelial function: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

"Supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids significantly improves the endothelial function without affecting endothelium-independent dilation."


Beneficial fats that contain high amounts of omega 3 can be found in foods like tofu, soya beans, soybean oil, soymilk, flaxseed oil, walnuts etc. A good balance of omega 3 and 6 is already found in soybeans but if one can choose to consume flaxseed oil to gain more omega 3 fats.

The recommended daily requirement for fat intake is 65grams. So each meal could contain about 20grams of fat.

A 14g tablespoon of flaxseed oil contains 14grams of fat and about 7000mg of omega 3. A 14g tablespoon of soybean oil contains about 1000mg of omega 3. 7 full pieces of walnuts of 28g contains 18grams of fat and 10000mg of omega 3.

Flaxseed oil
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/7554/2

Soybean oil
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fats-and-oils/507/2

Walnuts
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3138/2

Study: Females who ate most liquid sucrose and liquid fructose faced above-average chance of dying

This recently published research study re-enforces my previous assumptions that high intake of glucose can lead to higher effects of glycation(destruction of the endothelium and accumulation of plaque) and therefore lead to higher risks of ischemic heart disease. This study finds that glucose and fructose consumed in the liquid form can more readily lead to increased risks of dying particularly from cardiovascular disease.

Study: High Fructose Intake Linked to Slightly Higher Risk of Death
http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/high-fructose

"those who consumed lots of liquid sugar—from sodas, sports drinks, juices, etc.—had higher odds of dying of any cause (from cardiovascular disease, in particular). Why? It could be because sugars from beverages are rapidly absorbed, resulting in significant blood-sugar spikes, the scientists say."

"While this study just proved association, not causation, scientists do have a theory: Fructose produces "advanced glycation end-products," or AGEs, which may damage the walls of your arteries, encourage bad cholesterol to hang around"

"You don't, of course, have to give up fruit, which is a staple of any well-balanced diet. But you may want to cut back on your intake of other sources of fructose: fruit juices, soft drinks, preserves, applesauce, dried fruit, and candies."

5 Smart Steps to Cut Down On Sugar
http://time.com/94573/5-smart-steps-to-cut-down-on-sugar/

My Letter in TODAY Newspaper, Coconut Milk: Healthy or Hazardous?(Includes Links to Research Studies)

Here is my published letter in TODAY newspaper(in Singapore) about the Health Promotion Board's incorrect view of coconut milk. Coconut milk is able to promote weight loss through thermogenesis, and is anti-fungal and anti-bacteria.

 http://www.todayonline.com/voices/coconut-milk-healthy-or-hazardous

(Even though coconut milk is also described to possess anti-viral properties, I think I didn't mention it because I had in mind of colloidal silver's potent anti-viral properties that I felt was much more significant. There is a local site where colloidal silver has been lab-certified to be able to neutralize various types of viruses very quickly. http://www.colloidalsilver.com.sg/Certifications.php )


These articles at the HPB's website mentioned coconut milk as fattening:

Getting the Fats Right!
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/5634

Healthy Eating in Schools Programme
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/2818

Eat to Lower Blood Pressure
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/2862

Survive the Hawker Paradise
http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/2694

It is stated on the HPB's site that heart attack is the number two killer after cancer in Singapore. In Sri Lanka where coconut oil is consumed as the main dietary fat, the country has the lowest death rate from ischemic heart disease.

Medium chain triglycerides (MCT) in aging and arteriosclerosis.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3519928

"The Demographic Yearbook of the United Nations (1978) reported that Sri Lanka has the lowest death rate from ischemic heart disease. Sri Lanka is the only of the countries giving reliable data where coconut oil (containing over 50% medium chain fatty acids) is the main dietary fat."


Research that found coconut oil to be more easily absorbed compared to other oils composed of long-chain triglycerides—

Weight-loss diet that includes consumption of medium-chain triacylglycerol oil leads to a greater rate of weight and fat mass loss than does olive oil
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/87/3/621.full

Overfeeding with medium-chain triglyceride diet results in diminished deposition of fat.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/37/1/1.abstract

Medium-chain fatty acid nanoliposomes suppress body fat accumulation in mice.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21733323

Medium chain fatty acid metabolism and energy expenditure: obesity treatment implications.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9570335


Research has also found coconut oil to be able to induce thermogenesis for effective weight-loss—

Combined medium-chain triglyceride and chili feeding increases diet-induced thermogenesis in normal-weight humans.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23179202

Postprandial thermogenesis in lean and obese subjects after meals supplemented with medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2021124

Research on the nutritional characteristics of medium-chain fatty acids.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17878693

"Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA) have attracted attention as part of a healthy diet, because they are absorbed and transported directly into the liver via the portal vein, metabolized rapidly by beta-oxidation, and increase diet-induced thermogenesis."