Heart disease impacts people across all corners of the globe. In this study, researchers used data from 2000-2019 to quantify risk factors for heart disease in low- and middle-income countries. The researchers found that in low- and middle-income countries, the largest behavioral risk factor for ischemic heart disease was a diet low in whole grains. Additionally, high systolic blood pressure (the top number in the blood pressure reading) and high LDL (“bad”) cholesterol were linked with causing the highest disability-adjusted life years (a measure of overall disease burden).
Journal of the American Heart Association. 2021 Oct 5;10(19):e021024. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.121.021024. (Wang C et al.)

Research has come to suggest that the type of fat and food source have a greater effect on cardiovascular disease and related outcomes than the total amount of fat. In this study, scientists examined the relationship between fat intake from dairy products and cardiovascular disease in 4,150 Swedish adults. The study found that increased dairy fat intake did not directly cause higher cardiovascular disease rates or worsened outcomes. Rather, higher dairy fat intake levels were associated with a 12-14% reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
PLoS Medicine. 2021 Sep 21;18(9):e1003763. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003763. (Trieu K et al.)

U.S. dietary guidelines tend to recommend low- and no-fat dairy options, yet research suggests that the saturated fat in dairy may not pose as many health risks as originally thought. In this study, 66 people with metabolic syndrome (a risky combination of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and/or excess fat around the waist) were assigned to either 3.3 servings of low-fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) per day, 3.3 servings of full-fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) per day, or a limited dairy diet of 3 or fewer servings of nonfat milk. After 12 weeks of eating full-fat dairy, there was no effect on cholesterol, triglycerides, or blood pressure. However, the 3.3 servings of low-fat dairy group did trend towards a slight improvement in systolic blood pressure.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2021 Sep 1;114(3):882-892. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab131. (Schmidt KA et al.)

Nuts like peanuts are part of a brain healthy diet and researchers are starting to understand why. In a randomized controlled trial of 63 healthy young adults in the Mediterranean, people were randomly assigned to a diet with about 3 tablespoons (25g) of peanuts, 2 tablespoons (32g) of peanut butter, or 32 grams of a control spread made from peanut oil (but without the fiber or phenolic compounds). Those eating the peanuts and peanut butter daily over the six-month study were significantly more likely to have improved anxiety and improved immediate memory than those in the control group. The researchers suspect that these improvements may be linked with the peanut polyphenols or the increase in short chain fatty acids (an indicator of a healthy gut microbiome).
Clinical Nutrition. 2021 Sept 20. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2021.09.020. (Parilli-Moser I et al.)

As people abandon traditional diets for sugary, fatty Western diets, health can suffer, so researchers wonder if traditional eating might be related to sleep health as well. In a study of 100 Mexican American adults in Arizona, those who reported eating traditional Mexican foods more often were more likely to get 1.41 more hours of sleep per night and were less likely to report snoring than those who don’t eat traditional Mexican foods as often. However, eating traditional Mexican foods was not related to sleep quality, insomnia, or sleepiness.
BMC Nutrition. 2021 Aug 23;7(1):53. doi: 10.1186/s40795-021-00452-0. Ghani SB et al.)

Healthy eating may reduce the risk of age-related diseases and potentially even increase longevity, so researchers wanted to learn more about the mechanisms behind this protective effect. In this review, researchers share how the Mediterranean diet impacts nine different cellular and molecular hallmarks of aging (including telomere attrition, altered intercellular communication, and deregulated nutrient sensing, among others), thus supporting healthy aging.
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2021 Aug;75(8):1176-1192. doi: 10.1038/s41430-020-00841-x. (Shannon OM et al.)

Atherosclerosis, the build up of fatty plaque in arteries, can be a risk factor for heart disease down the road. In a randomized controlled trial of more than 900 people with heart disease, those assigned to a Mediterranean diet improved their atherosclerosis (as measured by reduced thickness of both carotid arteries) over 5 years and maintained their baseline artery thickness at 7 years. Those assigned to a low-fat diet did not have any significant improvements in atherosclerosis.
Stroke. 2021 Aug 10;STROKEAHA120033214. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.033214. (Jimenez-Torres J et al.)

The foods we eat can impact our gut microbiome, which in turn can impact a number of health functions, including immune response and inflammation. In a small study of people randomized to either a high-fiber diet or a high-fermented-foods diet, fermented foods were found to improve the diversity of the microbiome and decrease inflammation, while high-fiber foods were found to impact the microbiome and trigger a personalized immune response.
Cell. 2021 Aug 5;184(16):4137-4153.e14. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.06.019. Epub 2021 Jul 12. (Wastyk HC et al.)

Sorghum is a nutritious ancient grain with a low environmental footprint. In this review, researchers analyzed 16 intervention studies about sorghum and health, and found that eating sorghum may benefit blood sugar, weight management, satiety, and oxidative stress. Sorghum’s nutritional benefits and culinary versatility suggest that this grain may be an important part of future food innovations.
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2021 Jul 30;1-19. doi:10.1080/10408398.2021.1944976. Online ahead of print. (Ducksbury C et al.)

Today there are a growing number of innovative meat-replacement products available for people seeking plant-based alternatives. But are these options necessarily healthier than traditional plant-based foods like legumes and vegetables? To find out, researchers modeled a typical omnivore (meat-containing) diet and then compared it to diets that substituted either traditional or novel plant-based foods in place of meat matched for calories and macronutrients (carbohydrates, fat, protein). Nearly all diets with traditional plant-based foods met nutrient requirements for calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B12, while the diets with the novel meat-replacements did not. Additionally, diets with the traditional plant-based foods had less saturated fat, sodium, and sugar than the meat-containing diet, while the diets with the novel meat-replacement products had more.
Nutrients. 2021 Jul 23;13(8):2527. doi: 10.3390/nu13082527. (Tso R et al.)

Larger waist sizes (as measured by waist circumference), high blood pressure, and high triglycerides are all signs of potential heart disease down the road, so researchers wonder how whole grains might play a role in these risk factors. In a study of 3,121 adults (average age 55), researchers analyzed the types of grain foods they ate and their health markers to see how different types of grains might relate to cardiometabolic risk. While all study participants got larger around the waist over the 18-year study period, eating the most whole grains (at least 48 grams whole grain per day, or at least 3 full servings) was linked with significantly smaller increases in waist size compared with eating the least whole grains (less than 8 grams whole grain per day, or less than a half serving). Additionally, eating more whole grains was also linked with significantly smaller increases in fasting blood sugar and systolic blood pressure, while eating more refined grains (4+ servings per day) was linked with greater increases in waist size and a smaller decline in triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood).
Journal of Nutrition. 2021 Jul 13;nxab177. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxab177. (Sawicki CM et al.)

Dietary guidelines around the world recommend making more of our grains whole, and researchers wonder if people in different countries are meeting these goals. In a study of 9,128 people across eight Latin American countries, the average person was eating less than one full serving (only 14.7 grams) of whole grain foods per day. Women and older adults were more likely to eat more whole grains, while people with lower incomes were less likely to eat more whole grains. The most commonly eaten whole grains in the survey were oatmeal, masa harina, whole wheat bread, corn chips, and wheat crackers.
European Journal of Nutrition. 2021 Jul 7. doi: 10.1007/s00394-021-02635-8.