Can a Paleo Diet Cut Heart Disease Risk?

Adhering to the Paleo diet for as little as 2 months could cut an individual's risk of cardiovascular disease, according to the preliminary findings of a study presented at the American Physiological Society's Inflammation, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease Conference, held August 24 to 27 in Westminster, Colorado.

A team led by Chad Dolan, of the laboratory of integrative psychology at the University of Houston, enrolled 8 healthy adults who typically maintained a Western diet high in saturated fats and processed foods but low in fruits, vegetable, and fish.
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Dolan and his colleagues provided participants counseling on how to stay with the Paleo diet, or "caveman diet," which normally includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, roots, meat, and organ meats while excluding foods such as dairy products, grains, sugar, legumes, processed oils, salt, alcohol, and coffee. Those taking part in the study were asked to switch to the Paleo diet for a period of 8 weeks, and were provided a Paleo diet menu as well as a recipe guide designed to aid them in making food choices. The researchers also informed the participants that they could eat as many of the foods specified on the menu as they liked during the 2-month duration of the study.

The investigators assessed blood samples taken from the participants before and after switching from a Western diet to the Paleo diet. In addition to seeing reductions in participants' calorie intake and weight over the 8-week span on the Paleo diet, the researchers found that these individuals showed an average 35% increase in levels of the molecule interlukin-10 (IL-10). The authors note that low IL-10 levels can suggest a higher risk of heart attack among those with high inflammation levels, adding that they have yet to evaluate the inflammation levels of participants in this study.

Still, Dolan and colleagues expressed belief that higher levels of IL-10, as seen in those on the Paleo diet, could lower inflammation, subsequently protecting blood vessels and lowering cardiovascular disease risk. The researchers also reported that they plan to conduct a second study including more participants who will maintain a Paleo diet for a longer period of time, evaluating how the diet influences cardiovascular disease risk factors.

—Mark McGraw

Reference

American Physiological Society. Could the paleo diet benefit heart health? [press release]. August 24, 2016. http://www.newswise.com/articles/could-the-paleo-diet-benefit-heart-health.