Scientists at Penn State have made a fascinating discovery about our diet and heart health.
They found that eating less specific proteins in foods like meat, dairy, nuts, and soy could lower the risk of heart disease. This is because these foods are high in sulfur amino acids.
Here’s a bit more about amino acids: they are the building blocks of proteins. Some of them, like methionine and cysteine, contain sulfur and play essential roles in our metabolism and overall health.
For a long time, scientists have known that animals live longer when they eat diets low in these sulfur amino acids.
In this study, the researchers looked at the diets of over 11,000 people from a national study. They checked their blood for signs of heart and metabolic diseases. It turned out that people who ate fewer sulfur amino acids had lower risks for these diseases.
The team used data from the Third National Examination and Nutritional Health Survey. They created a score to measure the risk of heart and metabolic diseases based on levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and insulin in the blood after fasting for 10-16 hours.
They gave an example of what a day’s food might look like for someone who eats the right amount of sulfur amino acids.
For a 132-pound person, it could include a slice of bread, half an avocado, an egg, some cabbage, cherry tomatoes, a bit of chicken, brown rice, zucchini, butter, spinach, an apple, a small pizza, and a bit of almond.
Surprisingly, the average American eats about two and a half times more sulfur amino acids than needed. This is likely because of the types of food commonly eaten in the United States.
The researchers noticed that eating more sulfur amino acids was linked to a higher risk of heart and metabolic diseases. This was true for all types of food except grains, vegetables, and fruit.
This study is critical because it clearly links what we eat and our risk for heart and metabolic diseases.
It doesn’t prove that these foods cause diseases, but it suggests that eating less could be good for our hearts.
If you’re interested in heart health, other studies are worth reading. Some suggest eating eggs can reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 might help.
Olive oil could help you live longer, and Vitamin C has been linked to a lower risk of heart failure.
This research was done by Xiang Gao and his team and published in Lancet EClinical Medicine. It reminds us how important our diet choices are for our overall health.
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