Portfolio diet

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Portfolio Diet is a therapeutic plant-based diet created by Canadian researcher David J. Jenkins in 2003 to lower blood cholesterol. [1] [2] The diet emphasizes using a portfolio of foods or food components that have been found to associate with cholesterol lowering to enhance this effect. Soluble fiber, soy protein, plant sterols, and nuts are the four essential components of Portfolio diet. [3] The diet is low in saturated fat, high in fibre. Researchers have found it has comparable blood cholesterol effect to statin treatment.

Contents

Background

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. [4] Several risk factors have been identified as associated with cardiovascular disease. They include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, being overweight or obese, and smoking. [5] The American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) suggested life style management to control risk factors in order to reduce cardiovascular risk. One of the strategies is to reduce dietary saturated fat, which should reduce low-density lipoprotein in the blood (LDL) which is considered “bad” blood cholesterol. [6] If dietary and life style management proves ineffective on its own, medication is added, such as statin, to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Soy protein, nuts, viscous fibre, and plant sterols have been found to have a cholesterol lowering effect. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a health claim for these foods. David Jenkins believes that inclusion of all these foods in the diet is more effective at lowering cholesterol.

Diet

A typical portfolio diet includes a daily intake of about 50 grams of nuts (such as almonds, peanuts and walnuts), 2 grams of plant sterols, 10-25 grams of soluble fiber (from sources such as oats, barley, and psyllium), and 50 grams of soy protein. [3]

Health effects

There is high-quality evidence that the portfolio diet significantly reduces LDL-C and has positive effects on cardiometabolic risk factors. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cholesterol</span> Sterol biosynthesized by all animal cells

Cholesterol is the principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fat</span> Esters of fatty acid or triglycerides

In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food.

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is one of the five major groups of lipoproteins. Lipoproteins are complex particles composed of multiple proteins which transport all fat molecules (lipids) around the body within the water outside cells. They are typically composed of 80–100 proteins per particle. HDL particles enlarge while circulating in the blood, aggregating more fat molecules and transporting up to hundreds of fat molecules per particle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low-density lipoprotein</span> One of the five major groups of lipoprotein

Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is one of the five major groups of lipoprotein that transport all fat molecules around the body in extracellular water. These groups, from least dense to most dense, are chylomicrons, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), intermediate-density lipoprotein (IDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL). LDL delivers fat molecules to cells. LDL is involved in atherosclerosis, a process in which it is oxidized within the walls of arteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Statin</span> Class of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels

Statins, also known as HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, are a class of lipid-lowering medications that reduce illness and mortality in those who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease. They are the most commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Lipid-lowering agents, also sometimes referred to as hypolipidemic agents, cholesterol-lowering drugs, or antihyperlipidemic agents are a diverse group of pharmaceuticals that are used to lower the level of lipids and lipoproteins such as cholesterol, in the blood (hyperlipidemia). The American Heart Association recommends the descriptor 'lipid lowering agent' be used for this class of drugs rather than the term 'hypolipidemic'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypercholesterolemia</span> High levels of cholesterol in the blood

Hypercholesterolemia, also called high cholesterol, is the presence of high levels of cholesterol in the blood. It is a form of hyperlipidemia, hyperlipoproteinemia, and dyslipidemia.

Dyslipidemia is a metabolic disorder characterized by abnormally high or low amounts of any or all lipids or lipoproteins in the blood. Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD), which include coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral artery disease. Although dyslipidemia is a risk factor for ASCVD, abnormal levels don't mean that lipid lowering agents need to be started. Other factors, such as comorbid conditions and lifestyle in addition to dyslipidemia, is considered in a cardiovascular risk assessment. In developed countries, most dyslipidemias are hyperlipidemias; that is, an elevation of lipids in the blood. This is often due to diet and lifestyle. Prolonged elevation of insulin resistance can also lead to dyslipidemia. Likewise, increased levels of O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) may cause dyslipidemia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanol ester</span> Class of chemical compounds

Stanol esters is a heterogeneous group of chemical compounds known to reduce the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in blood when ingested, though to a much lesser degree than prescription drugs such as statins. The starting material is phytosterols from plants. These are first hydrogenated to give a plant stanol which is then esterified with a mixture of fatty acids also derived from plants. Plant stanol esters are found naturally occurring in small quantities in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, legumes, and vegetable oils.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phytosterol</span> Class of steroids derived from plants

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campesterol</span> Chemical compound

Campesterol is a phytosterol whose chemical structure is similar to that of cholesterol, and is one of the ingredients for E number E499.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stigmasterol</span> Chemical compound

Stigmasterol – a plant sterol (phytosterol) – is among the most abundant of plant sterols, having a major function to maintain the structure and physiology of cell membranes. In the European Union, it is a food additive listed with E number E499, and may be used in food manufacturing to increase the phytosterol content, potentially lowering the levels of LDL cholesterol.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Familial hypercholesterolemia</span> Genetic disorder characterized by high cholesterol levels

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder characterized by high cholesterol levels, specifically very high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, in the blood and early cardiovascular diseases. The most common mutations diminish the number of functional LDL receptors in the liver or produce abnormal LDL receptors that never go to the cell surface to function properly. Since the underlying body biochemistry is slightly different in individuals with FH, their high cholesterol levels are less responsive to the kinds of cholesterol control methods which are usually more effective in people without FH. Nevertheless, treatment is usually effective.

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or the DASH diet is a diet to control hypertension promoted by the U.S.-based National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The DASH diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods. It includes meat, fish, poultry, nuts, and beans, and is limited in sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, red meat, and added fats. In addition to its effect on blood pressure, it is designed to be a well-balanced approach to eating for the general public. DASH is recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a healthy eating plan. The DASH diet is one of three healthy diets recommended in the 2015–20 U.S. Dietary Guidelines, which also include the Mediterranean diet and a vegetarian diet. The American Heart Association (AHA) considers the DASH diet "specific and well-documented across age, sex and ethnically diverse groups."

The chronic endothelial injury hypothesis is one of two major mechanisms postulated to explain the underlying cause of atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD), the other being the lipid hypothesis. Although an ongoing debate involving connection between dietary lipids and CHD sometimes portrays the two hypotheses as being opposed, they are in no way mutually exclusive. Moreover, since the discovery of the role of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, the two hypotheses have become tightly linked by a number of molecular and cellular processes.

Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes, also known as the TLC Diet, is a dietary pattern recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program, part of the National Institutes of Health, to control hypercholesterolemia. This pattern focuses on saturated fats and cholesterol, dietary options to enhance LDL cholesterol lowering, weight control, and physical activity.

Bempedoic acid, sold under the brand name Nexletol among others, is a medication for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

References

  1. 1 2 Chiavaroli L, Nishi SK, Khan TA, Braunstein CR, Glenn AJ, Mejia SB, Rahelić D, Kahleová H, Salas-Salvadó J, Jenkins DJA, Kendall CWC, Sievenpiper JL. (2018). "Portfolio Dietary Pattern and Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Controlled Trials". Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. 61 (1): 43–53. doi: 10.1016/j.pcad.2018.05.004 . PMID   29807048.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. "Ask the Expert: The Portfolio Diet By Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN". Today's Dietitian Vol. 20, No. 10, P. 10. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  3. 1 2 "In Depth: The Portfolio diet". lipidgeneticsclinic.ca. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  4. Miniño, AM (2011). "Death in the United States, 2009". NCHS Data Brief, No 64. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
  5. CDC (2011). "Million Hearts: Strategies to reduce the prevalence of leading cardiovascular disease risk factors—United States". MMWR. 60 (36): 1248–51.
  6. Eckel, RH; Jakicic, JM; Ard, JD; et al. (2013). "2013 AHA/ACC guideline on lifestyle management to reduce cardiovascular risk: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines". Circulation. 129 (25 suppl 2): S76–S99. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.0000437740.48606.d1 . hdl: 1903/24649 .

Further reading