AHA edges closer to the Zone
Last Updated Aug 2007
Last week the American Heart Association (AHA) announced its new guidelines for
treating and preventing heart disease in women. As usual, you have to read
carefully between the lines. Relative to diet, the AHA put a new emphasis on
eating more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. Somehow the ubiquitous
grains and starches from the standard AHA diets of the past were missing in this
newest statement. The AHA also states it is virtually worthless to take anti-
oxidants, such Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and beta-carotene as well as folic acid to
prevent heart disease. Bad news for the health-food industry. At least the
AHA suggests taking some EPA and DHA, but the levels remain too low at less than a
gram per day for women with existing heart disease. In reality, it should be
closer to five grams of EPA and DHA per day, which surprisingly the association
recommends for people with high triglyceride levels. What are high triglyceride
levels? The article doesn't say, but I believe that any level higher than 100
mg/dl is high. Finally, the AHA pushes higher doses of aspirin. Unfortunately,
AHA officials still don't understand how aspirin works. At low doses (40 mg per
day) it increases exceptionally powerful anti-inflammatory eicosanoids known as 15-
epi-lipoxins. At the higher recommended doses, it abolishes the formation of the
same powerful eicosanoids. So by recommending higher aspirin doses, they are
ensuring that women will not get the full range of benefits of aspirin. Bottom
line, the AHA is getting closer to the Zone program for treating heart disease --
cut back on grains and starches but eat more fruits and vegetables balanced by
increased amounts of low-fat protein, take higher levels of ultra-refined EPA and
DHA, and very low dose aspirin to make more anti-inflammatory eicosanoids. Who
knows? In a few years, their guidelines may be exactly those of the Zone.