Posted on 12/17/2004 2:25:19 PM PST by Rodney King
Chocolate, wine can aid heart By Sharon Labi December 17, 2004
A DAILY meal of seven ingredients including wine and chocolate could cut heart disease by 76 per cent, Australian researchers have found.
The diet comprising wine, fish, dark chocolate, fruit, vegetables, almonds and garlic, would also increase life expectancy by more than six years in men and five years in women.
Researchers at Monash University, in Victoria, and the Erasmus University Medical Centre, in The Netherlands, studied the effects of the "polymeal" to see if its benefits could match those of a polypill.
Research last year into a polypill found the combination of drugs in one dose could reduce heart disease by more than 80 per cent.
Dr Anna Peeters of Monash University said the meal was almost as effective as the pill.
"We found that if you took this kind of meal and this combination of ingredients, that you'd have an increase in total life expectancy, and for men it was about six and a half years and for women it was about five years," she told AAP.
"If you take this polymeal idea, then you get more years free of cardiovascular disease and less years with cardiovascular disease and that was quite a significant finding."
The seven foods were picked for their benefits on cardiovascular disease, and although olive oil was known to be good for the heart, not enough solid data was available to include it, Dr Peeters said.
But the inclusion of wine and chocolate was good news, especially in the lead-up to Christmas.
"It's been known for a long time that they are both beneficial for cardiovascular disease, they have antioxidant properties," Dr Peeters said.
"On their own, the level of effect is only 14-20 per cent but it's in combination with all these others that you get such a big reduction (in cardiovascular disease) of 76 per cent."
However, it was not open slather on the ingredients: the recommended daily intake was 150ml for wine and 100g for dark chocolate.
Apart from running the risk of boring the palate, eating a diet of only seven ingredients required further study.
"We're not advocating that people should take this particular set of ingredients for the rest of their lives. It was more a paper to illustrate that using a dietary combination, you could get effects similar to pharmaceutical combinations," Dr Peeters said.
"It's really just to show that a healthy diet potentially can have the same effects as a polypill."
Dr Peeters said the polymeal was an effective, non-pharmacological, safe, cheap and tasty alternative to the polypill.
The research was published in this week's British Medical Journal.
(slapping self upside of head) For some reason I thought you were practically a direct shot south from me.
Fish is not exactly cheap here, but I do know it's fresh and because I've gotten to know enough of the watermen and the fish markets, I have no qualms paying a price for it.
The really funny thing is, the shrimp I buy from one market is coming from NC - at least a 4 hour drive from here!
I usually buy the store brand soda - but this week I actually bought a 12-pack each of Sprite and Coke - because they were on sale. 2 bucks is 2 bucks!!!
We probably are due south ... the coast curves to the east :-). Charlotte is inland NC.
According to hubby, the resident geography expert, you're correct..........he says you are pretty much directly south of us. I guess I've just lived so close to water/coast so long that I consider due south along the coast........but that attitude does not take into consideration the changes of the coastline.
One of our favorite seafood markets/restaurants that is locally owned and operated by watermen will ship anywhere!!!!
Mmmmm, chocolate and wine. Together, separate, whatever... Mmmmm, lucky for me I also love almonds, garlic, veggies and fruits. Yuuuuummmmm!!
To make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be?
--- three days of steady drinking should do it.
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