July Post 2015

Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide, so reducing risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure and dislipemia remain important. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Mediterranean diet have been found to successfully reduce risk factors for heart disease, but could there be other dietary patterns that could also reduce risk factors for heart disease?

 A research study conducted by Schroeder and colleagues (2015) examined the effects of a Korean diet, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), and the typical American diet on reducing risk factors for heart disease. There has been limited research on a Korean diet and the DGA and their effects on heart health. Despite the prevalence of obesity worldwide, the levels of obesity in Korea remain relatively low. A traditional Korean diet is mostly plant-based and contains many fermented foods. Not much research has been done on the DGA and reducing risk factors for heart disease, but the DGA promote an overall healthy dietary pattern. The typical American diet pattern included foods high in saturated fat, sodium, and refined grains.

This study by Schroeder and colleagues (2015) contained overweight and obese, non-Asian American individuals (n=31) who have elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. It was a three-period crossover, controlled-feeding study. The food was prepared for the participants and the macronutrient distributions, sodium content, and calorie intake were regulated. This study found that when the individuals were on the typical Korean diet and the DGA the total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol significantly decreased, but this did not happen on the traditional American diet. The HDL cholesterol levels decreased on all three diets, and all three diets decreased blood pressure but only the DGA was significant.

Another study by Oh and colleagues (2013) focused specifically on Korean diets and it analyzed three dietary patterns and the effects on hypertension and hypertriglycemia. The diets being compared were a balanced Korean diet with rice and kimchi, an unbalanced Korean diet with high carbohydrate and sodium intake, and a semi-western diet containing high meat, poultry, and alcohol intake. The results from this study found the typical Korean diet was most desirable because it lowered the risk of high blood pressure and hypertriglyceridemia. This study found that avoiding excessive carbohydrate consumption and excess sodium should be emphasized to prevent metabolic syndrome and hypertension in South Korea.

Dietary habits can make a large impact on our heart health. Traditionally, the Mediterranean diet or the DASH diet were associated with improving heart health, but there may be other diet recommendation that could also be beneficial. A traditional Korean diet and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans may also reduce risk factors that contribute to heart disease, but at this point there needs to be more research before strong conclusions can be made.

AND Article

Schroeder, N., Park, Y., Kang, M., Kim, Y., Ha, G. K., Kim, H., & ... Caballero, B. (2015). A Randomized Trial on the Effects of 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and Korean Diet Patterns on Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Overweight and Obese Adults. Journal Of The Academy Of Nutrition & Dietetics, 115(7), 1083-1092. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2015.03.023

http://www.andjrnl.org/article/S2212-2672(15)00387-1/abstract

Supplemental Study Article

Oh, H. Y., Kim, M. K., Lee, M., & Kim, Y. O. (2013). Macronutrient Composition and Sodium Intake of Diet Are Associated with Risk of Metabolic Syndrome and Hypertension in Korean Women. Plus ONE, 8(10), 1. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0078088

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24205105