Healthy Vessels: Removing Double Effect
March 2nd 2010 -
Overweight people who lose weight will benefit twice: In addition to the pounds disappear too dangerous atherosclerotic plaques on the inner walls of blood vessels. This is the result of a study that will appear in the journal Circulation.
Israel scientists followed 140 overweight volunteers to over a period of two years. At the beginning of the study, the predominantly male participants were on average 51 years old and had a BMI of 30.4. Almost all took antihypertensive medications. Randomly, the subjects had a different diet plans were assigned to three: a low-carb diet, a low-fat diet or a Mediterranean diet. It was found that a moderate weight loss lies shrink the dangerous deposits in de inside walls of the carotid arteries measurable. On average, the slimmed-down the walls of the carotid arteries by five percent.
That led to a weight loss of pick until 11,7 pounds, the blood pressure also decreased the homocysteine concentration, which is a marker for cardiovascular risk. In return, the values of “good” cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol increased).
It was found that all three diets brought similar positive results for the state of the blood vessels: “The decisive factor is the reduced calorie intake and less on the exact composition of foods”, explain the study’s leader Iris Shai of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Tags: antihypertensive, atherosclerotic plaques, blood vessels, healthy vessels, homocysteine
