Diets rich in red meat, refined grains, and sugar, which are considered inflammatory foods, can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke, according to a new study published Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).
In a separate JACC study, researchers have assessed the positive effects of eating walnuts, one of the anti-inflammatory foods. They found that it decreased inflammation and the risk of heart disease.
Inflammation could play a pivotal role in the development of stroke and heart disease. And inflammatory biomarkers have been linked to atherosclerosis, a condition in which the arteries get constricted due to the accumulation of plaque, or fat.
Lead author of the study Dr. Jun Li of Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health said, “Using an empirically-developed, food-based dietary index to evaluate levels of inflammation associated with dietary intake, we found that dietary patterns with higher inflammatory potential were associated with an increased rate of cardiovascular disease.”
“Our study is among the first to link a food-based dietary inflammatory index with long-term risk of cardiovascular disease,” she added.
The study participants who consumed inflammatory diets had a 28% higher risk of stroke and a 46% higher risk of heart disease than those who consumed anti-inflammatory diets.
The investigators recommended eating foods rich in antioxidants and fiber to curb inflammation, such as green leafy vegetables, yellow vegetables, whole grains, coffee, tea, and wine. Also, they suggested limiting the intake of sugar, refined grains, fried foods, sodas, and red meat.
Dr. Ramon Estruch, a senior consultant at Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, Spain, said, “A better knowledge of health protection provided by different foods and dietary patterns, mainly their anti-inflammatory properties, should provide the basis for designing even healthier dietary patterns to protect against heart disease.”
“When choosing foods in our diet, we should indeed beware of their pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory potential!” he added.
In another JACC study, researchers assessed how including walnuts in your diet would improve inflammatory biomarkers.
Previous research has found that regular walnut consumption could lower your heart disease risk and overall cholesterol, but there has been limited research on nut consumption and less inflammation.
The researchers looked at more than 630 participants who were randomly assigned to eat a diet with or without walnuts. After two years, the participants who ate a diet with walnuts were found to have significantly reduced levels of inflammation in the body.
Lead author Dr. Montserrant Cofán of August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute, Barcelona, Spain, said, “The anti-inflammatory effect of long-term consumption of walnuts demonstrated in this study provides novel mechanistic insight for the benefit of walnut consumption on heart disease risk beyond that of cholesterol-lowering.” The article originally appeared on Science Daily.
