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Whole Grains Decrease Heart Failure Risk

Posted on: Friday, 26 December 2008, 08:20 CST

According to findings from a long-term study, each serving of whole-grains may lessen heart failure risk by 7 percent among middle-aged African-American and white men and women.

Dr. Jennifer A. Nettleton, of the University of Texas Health Services Center in Houston, said each serving of high-fat dairy and egg appeared to increase heart failure risk by 8 and 23 percent.

"A refined grain here, a full fat yogurt there, and the occasional egg aren't going to result in heart failure, but a continued pattern of such behaviors could," Nettleton told Reuters Health.

Heart failure is a chronic disease that leaves organs starved for oxygen, as the heart gradually loses its ability to pump blood efficiently.

During the 13 years study, Nettleton's group assessed three times the dietary intake of 14,153 adults, aged 45 to 64 years, who did not have heart failure in 1987 when the study began.  About half of the participants were women and a quarter were African-American.

The researchers reported in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, that there were 1,140 participants overall who were hospitalized for heart failure during the study period.

After considering the factors that affect heart failure risk, such as calorie intake, lifestyle, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure, the researchers found that lower heart failure risk  was associated with greater intake of whole grains, and a higher risk was associated with greater amounts of eggs and high fat dairy.

The associations were held independently of intake of red meat, fruits and vegetables, fish, and nuts.  These foods showed no association with heart failure risk, most likely because there were too few heart failure cases to detect the heart benefits previously linked with eating fish, fruit and vegetables, and nuts, Nettleton said.

Despite this, the findings from the current study are consistent with current dietary recommendations to minimize saturated fat intake from meat and high fat dairy products, and eat at least 3 whole grains each day, according to Nettleton.

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On The Net:

Journal of the American Dietetic Association

University of Texas Health Services

Source: redOrbit staff

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