Study shows why simple carbs are bad for you

It has long been known that simple carbohydrates that turn into sugars are not good for your heart or your health - but until now, scientists have not understood exactly what they do to the body.

Now a landmark study by Dr. Michael Shechter of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine and Sheba Medical Center's heart institute (in cooperation with its endocrinology institute) - just published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology - demonstrates exactly how these foods increase the risk of heart disease.

Like the medical warnings on packets of cigarettes, this new research could lead to food labeling that educates people about the effects of a harmful diet.

Shechter and colleagues used brachial reactive testing - which employs an arm cuff to visualize arterial function in real time - to examine the inside of the students' arteries while they ate a variety of foods. They clearly found that foods with a high glycemic index distended brachial arteries for several hours.

While elasticity of arteries throughout the body is found in young people and is beneficial, this sudden stretching of the endothelium inside the arteries over time causes harm. A sudden expansion of the artery wall can cause a number of negative health effects, including reduced elasticity - which can lead to heart disease or sudden death.

"It's very hard to predict heart disease," says Shechter, "but doctors know that high glycemic foods rapidly increase blood sugar. Those who binge on these foods have a greater chance of sudden death from heart attack. Our research connects the dots, showing the link between diet and what's happening in real time in the arteries."

The researchers divided 56 healthy volunteers into four groups. Over the course of a month, one group ate bowls of cornflakes mixed with milk, a second were served a pure sugar mixture, the third ate bran flakes, while the last group was given a placebo (water).

The results were dramatic. Before patients in the four groups ate, their arterial function was essentially the same. After eating, except for the placebo group who drank water, all had reduced arterial functioning. Enormous peaks, indicating arterial stress, were found in the high-glycemic-index groups: the cornflakes and sugar groups.

"We knew high glycemic foods were bad for the heart. Now we have a mechanism that shows how," says Shechter. "Foods like cornflakes, white bread, french fries and sweet drinks all put undue stress on our arteries. We've explained for the first time how high-glycemic carbohydrates can affect the progression of heart disease."

During the consumption of foods high in sugar, there appears to be a temporary and sudden dysfunction in the endothelial walls of the arteries. The health of the tissue layer inside the arteries can be traced back to almost every disorder and disease in the body, says Shechter. It is "the riskiest of the risk factors."

He advises avoiding simple carbohydrates as much as possible in favor of foods like oatmeal, fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts, which have a low glycemic index. Their beneficial effect is boosted by exercising daily for at least half an hour.

This article can also be read at - J-Post News

Study traces high carb link to heart attacks

Dr. Michael Shechter: We knew high glycemic foods were bad for the heart. Now we have a mechanism that shows how.

Globes' correspondent

25 June 09 

A landmark research study by Dr. Michael Shechter of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine and the Heart Institute of Sheba Medical Center, with collaboration of the Endocrinology Institute, shows exactly how high carbohydrate foods increase the risk for heart problems. The study found that foods with a high glycemic index distended brachial arteries for several hours.

While elasticity of arteries can point to heart health, when aggravated over time, a sudden expansion of the artery wall can cause a number of negative health effects, including reduced elasticity, which can cause heart disease or sudden death.

"It's very hard to predict heart disease," says Dr. Shechter, a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. "But doctors know that high glycemic foods rapidly increase blood sugar. Those who binge on these foods have a greater chance of sudden death from heart attack. Our research connects the dots, showing the link between diet and what's happening in real time in the arteries."

It is a first in medical history. The results were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Researchers looked at four groups of volunteers. One group ate a cornflake mush mixed with milk, a second a pure sugar mixture, the third bran flakes, and the last group was given a placebo (water). Over four weeks, Dr. Shechter applied his method of "brachial reactive testing" to each group. The test uses a cuff on the arm, like those used to measure blood pressure, which can visualize arterial function in real time.

The results were dramatic. Before any of the patients ate, arterial function was essentially the same. After eating, except for the placebo group, all had reduced functioning. Enormous peaks indicating arterial stress were found in the high glycemic index groups: the cornflakes and sugar group.

"We knew high glycemic foods were bad for the heart. Now we have a mechanism that shows how," says Dr. Shechter. "Foods like cornflakes, white bread, French fries, and sweetened soda all put undue stress on our arteries. We've explained for the first time how high glycemic carbs can affect the progression of heart disease." During the consumption of foods high in sugar, there appears to be a temporary and sudden dysfunction in the endothelial walls of the arteries.

Endothelial health can be traced back to almost every disorder and disease in the body. It is "the riskiest of the risk factors," says Dr. Shechter, whose practice often treats "medical tourists" from the US who visit to take the heart test.

Dr. Shechter recommends sticking to foods like oatmeal, fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts, which have a low glycemic index. Exercising every day for at least 30 minutes, he adds, is an extra heart-smart action to take.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news