High carb foods like white bread, corn flakes, french fries, and sweetened soda, with high glycemic index, increase the risk for heart problems and are not good for heart health.
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, conducted the study on 56 healthy volunteer students eating a variety of foods.
The results were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Researchers found that foods with a high glycemic index distended brachial arteries for several hours. 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.
With advanced clinical and research techniques, Dr. Shechter was able to visualize what happens inside our arteries before, during and after eating high carb foods. It is a first in medical history.
“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.
This new research shows the effects of a poor diet on our body.
Health guidelines from this study:
– Eat foods like oatmeal, fruits and vegetables, legumes and nuts, which have a low glycemic index.
– Exercising every day for at least 30 minutes is an extra heart smart action to take.
Source: American Friends of Tel Aviv University, USA