WESTERN DIET - YOUR TICKET TO DEATH?

If you favor our Western culture, its so called Western diet may still harm your health, and heart specifically. Unless you adjust your nutritional pattern naturally in favor of your health and longevity.  Read on to learn more about.   

THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND

As you have learned from our publications and seminars, support of our health & longevity depends on 2 basic pillars: physical activity and healthy diet. With special reference to health of our heart.
 
Healthy diet? Being proud of our Western heritage and culture most of us, we may believe that healthy diet is automatically part of it. Called Western diet. Unfortunately yet, there is a myth behind.  
 
In fact, despite of spending highest amount for medicine per capita, unhealthy food is responsible for almost half of cardiovascular deaths in the U.S. According to the U.S. National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD.
 
Even more, heart failure is the #1 of unsolved health problems in the Western world, leading to premature death, followed by cancer and diabetes.

SCIENTIFIC SCRUTINY OF WESTERN DIET 

​ased on the fact that our seemingly progressive (?) Western diet is loaded with saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and cholesterol. Leading to the front yard of heart disease such as atherosclerosis, i.e. a related disorder influencing elasticity of arteries negatively by buildup of fatty plaques on artery walls, narrowing blood vessels, accordingly. With heart failure as a potential consequence.

• Fats

 
High-fat diet as part of the Western diet has a negative impact also on white blood cells which are the first line of defense against infections. Even a single high-fat meal can have a negative effect on blood vessels, based on research at Augusta University and the Medical College of Georgia.   
 
Especially 2 types of fats are debilitating and potentially causing heart attack:
- saturated fats (mainly in meat and dairy)
- trans fats (mainly in commercially baked foods, certain margarines, solid cooking fats and deep-
   fried food prepared with hardened vegetable oils)  

Scientifically verified also by
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
- Harvard Medical School
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital all in Boston, MA                    
   as well as
- Cleveland Clinic in Lyndhurst, Ohio.  

Even worse.

According to research at, inter alia, the
- University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa
   &
- Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO
specially females aged over 50 are enhancing their premature cardiovascular death risk by regular consumption of fried foods.
 
Such as, inter alia,
- fried chicken
- fried fish, shellfish (like shrimp or oysters), and fish sandwich,
- French fries, tortilla chips, tacos, etc.  

This is in line with the results of a meta-analysis developed, inter alia, in China at
- Shenzhen University School of Medicine in Schenzhen
- Zhengzhou University in Zhengzhou
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Shenzhen Hospital in Shenzhen
according to which the consumption of fried foods may well be linked not only to cardiovascular events but also enhance the level of ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol, lowering ‘good’ (HDL) cholesterol at the same time.  

• Sodium

 
Just as too much salt (sodium) in this type of Western diet may raise blood pressure, as another related cardiovascular disorder.
 
While, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), salt intake should be limited to 1,500 milligrams (mg) up to 2,300 mg highest per day, average consumption in the U.S. is more than 3,400 mg per capita and day.

• Other

 
Also, a shortage of fruits and vegetables in our diet, thus lacking life-supporting vitamins, minerals (such as potassium and magnesium), fiber, and antioxidants, is a potential key to heart-related deaths.
 
According to research at, inter alia,
- Harvard School of Public Health
   &
- Tufts University     
   both in Boston, US-State of Massachusetts
   as well as
- Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China.  

Another counterproductive nutritional factor with respect to heart health is protein-rich meat. While this type of protein-rich food is considered beneficial for weight loss and muscle-buildup, it may well be counterproductive for the cardiovascular system because of their content of sulfur amino acids. Primarily methionine as an essential amino acid, cysteine, as a semi-essential amino acid. At least if they are consumed in high quantities.
 
These findings are especially relevant as, according to research at         
- Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO 
this type of protein-rich food is not only unfavorable for cardiovascular health but may increase heart attack risk specifically.
 
Therefore, according to research at, inter alia,
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, MA,
- Pennsylvania State University in University Park, PA,
- Louisiana State University System in Baton Rouge, LA,
- Universita Vita-Salute San Raffaele in Milan, Italy 
​red meat should be replaced with plant protein sources. with heart-healthy benefit.​

WAY OUT

In fact, not all cultures in our Western hemisphere are alike. Nutrition being no exception.
 
Just take the statistics on life expectancy of the World Health Organization. While countries north and south of the Mediterranean Sea (that part of the Earth where Man was created 2 and a half million years ago) are on top of the scale, the U.S. is trailing behind at position 31.
 
Let’s take a closer look at the Mediterranean diet as a feasible alternative.
 
According to research at, inter alia,
- Harvard Medical School
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
   &
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital
   (all 3 in Boston, MA)
   as well as the Canadian
- Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) in Hamilton/Ontario 
Mediterranean diet – rich in plants and olive oil but low in meat and sugary products - reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by a quarter, with special reference to coronary heart disease, stroke and heart attack.
 
Scientifically verified also by the Center for Genetics, Nutrition, and Health in Washington, D.C.
 
Although there are some varieties of Mediterranean diet, all rely on the same basic nutrients, as recommended and validated, inter alia, by the American Heart Association. Such as, inter alia,
- high volume of vegetables and fruits
- nuts and seeds
- high fiber starches like beans, potatoes, whole grain bread, etc.
- poultry and fish
- eggs up to 4 times a week
   &
- whole grain 

Only recently, Tufts University in Boston, MA, has concluded scientifically that consuming more whole grain reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
 
Another important part of Mediterranean diet is
- olive oil 
which not only controls blood pressure, but also reduces risk of atrial fibrillation (A-fib).
 
According to a Spanish mega-study based on research at
- University of Barcelona in Barcelona
- University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in Las Palmas
- University of Malaga in Malaga
- University of Valencia in Valencia
- University of Navarra in Pamplona
- Hospital Universitari de Sant Joan de Reus

Also, mono-unsaturated fats in olive oil are controlling weight.
(Please note: mono- and poly-unsaturated oils from olives, soybeans, canola and corn are free of trans fats.)
 
In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has agreed that olive oil is heart healthy with its monounsaturated fat which cuts down the risk of coronary heart disease. Keeping arteries unblocked to support unhampered flow of blood with oxygen and nutrients to the heart.   
 
At the same time Mediterranean diet is low in 
- (especially red) meat
- dairy
- fat
- junk food 

Scientifically verified also by the Universities of East Anglia, Cambridge and Aberdeen in the UK, and McMaster University in Hamilton/Ontario, Canada.
 
According to this research, Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of stroke by 17%. Especially for women aged 40 years plus.​

IN A NUTSHELL
​

If you favor our Western culture, its so called Western diet may still harm your health, and heart specifically. Unless you adjust your nutritional pattern naturally in favor of your health and longevity.