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In the news: Plant-Sourced Mono-unsaturated Fats, Sleep & Risk of CVD

Plant MUFAs May Curtail CVD, All-Cause Mortality

A preliminary report of a large-scale observational study adds to the evidence that a diet higher in plant-sourced mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) is protective against heart disease.

Study results, presented earlier this year at the AHA’s Epidemiology and Prevention Session in New Orleans, suggest that we should be consuming more MUFAs from olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados, while moderating MUFA intake from full-fat dairy, eggs, red meat and poultry. Further benefits may accrue from replacing saturated fats, trans-fats or refined carbo-hydrates with plant MUFAs (1).

Harvard-based researchers used data from over 63,000 women (Nurses’ Health Study) and » 30,000 men (Health Professionals Follow-Up Study) to assess the impact of MUFAs on death from CVD and other causes. Detailed food frequency questionnaires were administered every 4 years to evaluate dietary composition; Participant follow-up was a mean 22 yrs.

Findings, adjusted for potential confounders, include:

• 16% lower risk of death from any cause for high vs. low intake of plant-based MUFAs;
• 21% higher risk of death from any cause for high vs. low intake of animal-based MUFAs;
• Replacing saturated fats, trans fats or refined carbohydrates with an equal number of calories (2-5% of total) from plant MUFAs may lower risk of death from heart disease and any cause 10-15%;
• Replacing animal MUFAs with an equal amount of calories (5% of total) from plant MUFAs may lower the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality by 24-26%

Connecting Olive Oil, Sleep & Heart Attack

Impaired sleep and short sleep duration are risk factors for the development of CVD. When it comes to heart attack and stroke, what might unsaturated fats and sleep patterns have in common? According to recent work from Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science of St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, the connection between them may be a plasma protein known as ApoA-IV, which the researchers determined to be an inhibitory factor for platelets (2,3). Platelet aggregation can block blood flow and lead to thrombosis, a common cause of heart attack and ischemic stroke.

Using both experimental models and humans, the research team found that ApoA-IV can both decrease platelet aggregation and slow plaque build-up in vessels.

In a previous randomized controlled study (4), it was found that circulating ApoA-IV increased after participants consumed meals containing unsaturated fats, including MUFA-rich olive oil. Platelets are stimulated after eating, and increasing ApoA-IV via consumption of unsaturated fat mitigates platelet hyperactivity and bonding. This could reduce inflammation after meals, and thus the risk of heart attack and stroke.

ApoA-IV was also observed in the present investigation, to exhibit a circadian rhythm in healthy volunteers. Greater ApoA-IV activity occurred overnight and diminished in the morning. It’s known that heart attacks occur more frequently in the early morning hours, which is due, in part, to increased platelet adhesiveness and an increase in stress hormones. According to the researchers, the low levels of apoA-IV in the morning likely contribute to enhanced platelet aggregation, and may lead to more adverse cardiovascular and cerebro-vascular events.

While these intriguing findings are preliminary, they raise the possibility that foods high in unsaturated fats like MUFAs, along with good sleep patterns may be cardioprotective.

References

1. AHA Meeting Report. Poster Presentation MP-40, Session MP07. March 21, 2018.
2. Xu XR, et al. Apolipoprotein A-IV binds αIIbβ3 integrin and inhibits thrombosis. Nature Comm. 9(1)3608, 2018.
3. St. Michael’s Hospital. “How olive oil and sleep could stave off heat attacks and strokes: New study examines plasma protein’s role: Apolipoprotein A-IV linked with thrombosis in new study.” ScienceDaily, 6 Sept. 2018
4. Kratz, M., et al. Dietary mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids similarly increase plasma apolipoprotein A-IV concentrations in healthy men and women. J. Nutr. 133:1821–25, 2003.