Another great article by Cassandra Forsythe-Pribanic, PhD, RD
Isn’t it interesting that when your doctor
sends you to get your blood tested for your yearly physical, you have to go in a
fasted state first thing in the morning? But, if you really think about it: How much
of your day do you actually spend in an 8-12 hour fasted
condition?
Honestly, other than when you’re sleeping,
you really don’t spend that much time between meals, because if you’re like most
people, you eat somewhere between every two to six hours; sometimes a bit more,
sometimes a bit less. So, why is it that when your blood risk
factors for heart disease are checked - parameters like insulin, glucose,
cholesterol, and triglycerides - it’s done with you being in a non-normal fasted
(starving) state? It doesn’t make much sense, does it?
That’s why researchers are now looking at
risk factors for heart disease and other chronic conditions in more normal
conditions; and hopefully soon, our physicians will catch on to this as well. The time period between meals, which is where
we spend more of our days, is called the post-prandial period.
And, recent evidence now suggests that
high post-prandial blood cholesterol and triglyceride and insulin levels are
strong independent risk factors for heart disease, even more than fasting
levels. Furthermore, the omega-3 essential fatty
acids found in marine animals, like fish and krill, are well-known to improve
our fasting blood lipid and insulin levels, and greatly reduce our risk of heart
complications, but the effects in a post-prandial state are not quite as clear.
New Omega-3 Post-Prandial Research
Recently, researchers from Italy took on this
unknown, but important health question, and investigated the effects of omega-3
essential fatty acid supplementation on men and women with elevated risk factors
for heart disease in a post-prandial condition. Over a period of 6 months, 157 men and women
between the ages of 18 and 75 were included in the study if they had high total
cholesterol levels, insulin, and triglycerides, but had never taken
lipid-lowering medication.
The patients were divided into one of two
groups who took either 1g of omega-3 EPA and DHA (the special omega-3 fatty
acids found only in marine oils) or a placebo, combined with a calorie-reduced
diet and regular exercise. Both the researchers and the subjects did not
know what type of supplements they were taking until the entire study was
completed, so that there would be no biased results (known as a double-blind
study). At the beginning and the end of the study,
the patients all underwent a special type of post-prandial blood testing, known
as an oral fat load test. This is a situation where the patients are asked to
eat a high fat meal, which in this case was 350 mL of whipping cream with light
chocolate syrup and milk, and then have their blood lipid and insulin levels
evaluated. They also had regular blood testing throughout the study.
Outstanding Results
After the six-month study period, subjects in
both groups who followed a lower-calorie eating plan and regular exercise, lost
body weight, body fat, and total post-prandial cholesterol levels, regardless of
the type of supplement (omega-3 or placebo) that they took. Most interestingly was that the group taking
1g of EPA and DHA each day for the past six months had a more significant
reduction in post-prandial triglycerides and insulin, and a more significant
increase in HDL (good) cholesterol than the placebo group, whereas the placebo
group had no positive changes in these parameters at all.
What this shows is that in a post-prandial
high-fat condition (similar to if you had a large, creamy dessert after dinner),
people who regularly take omega-3 essential fatty acids, were better able to
handle the fat and use it for energy than those who did not take these special
fatty acids at all. Also, people taking the omega-3 supplement
had significant decreases in novel blood markers of insulin resistance, known as
resistan and RBP-4, and increases in a compound called ADN, which indicated that
their bodies were much better at handling and disposing of sugary high-fat
meals.
High levels of resistan in the body decrease
the ability of insulin to stop liver glucose output like it’s supposed to, and
prevent muscle from taking up glucose for energy. Also, RBP-4 is increased in
people with insulin resistance and/or type-2 diabetes compared to lean, healthy
people, while ADN helps the body burn more fat for fuel and prevents the
damaging effects of high blood glucose. Overall, changes in these makers
indicate that omega-3 fatty acids from marine sources help prevent and reverse
insulin resistance, which eventually can lead to many diseases such as diabetes,
heart disease, and kidney disease.
Protect your Health with Omega-3
Fats
The results of this research have important
implications for our health and the health of those around us.
First, there is more to heart health and
diabetes prevention than fasted blood tests that your doctor sends you for each
year; it’s more important to look at how your body functions after a meal, and
what your risk factors for disease are in that common situation.
Second, omega-3 fatty acids from marine oils,
like krill and fish, can greatly help you deal with common situations of
un-ideal eating; such as when you’re getting ready to eat a Mile-High Ice Cream
Pie, and just know that your blood cholesterol and insulin levels are going to
take a beating.
If you regularly take omega-3 fats containing
EPA and DHA, your body will be better at dealing with dangerous desserts, and
will not suffer as badly afterwards. However, this does not give you a free pass
to eat buckets of ice cream whenever you like – it just lets you know that if
you regularly take omega-3 fatty acids, you won’t end up in a coffin if you
choose to eat these treats once in a while.
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