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.