Excerpt

The Flat Belly Diet

by Liz Vaccariello

MUFAs Protect Your Heart
·  French scientists tested the effects of replacing some dietary carbohydrates with MUFAs without reducing calories. They found that the MUFA-rich diet produced better effects on blood triglyceride levels and other markers for cardiovascular disease.

·  Johns Hopkins researchers compared the effects of three healthful diets, each with reduced saturated fat intake, on blood pressure and blood fat levels over 6 weeks, without allowing for weight loss. The first diet was rich in carbohydrates, the second high in protein (with about half from plant sources), and the third high in MUFAS. They found that the protein and MUFA diets further lowered blood pressure, improved blood fat levels, and reduced the estimated risk of CVD.

·  Pennsylvania State University faculty compared the CVD risk profile of an average American diet to four different cholesterol-lowering diets: an American Heart Association/National Cholesterol Education Program Step II diet and three high-MUFA diets. The Step II diet and all of the high-MUFA diets lowered total cholesterol by 10 percent and LDL cholesterol by 14 percent. The MUFA diets also lowered triglyceride concentrations by 13 percent (while the step II increased them by 11 percent) and did not lower "good" HDL cholesterol (the Step II diet lowered HDL by 4 percent).

·  University of Barcelona scientists compared the short-term effects of two Mediterranean diets versus a low-fat diet on markers of cardiovascular risk. Compared with the low-fat diet, the mean changes in blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol were significantly better in both the MUFA-rich olive oil?based Mediterranean diet and the MUFA-rich, nut-based Mediterranean groups.

·  The research on MUFAs and heart health is so compelling that a daily MUFA target has now become part of the standard scientific protocol for preventing and managing CVD risk. The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) plan, developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (a branch of the National Institutes of Health), is designed to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.16 It recommends a total fat intake of 25 to 35 percent of daily calories, with saturated fat at no more than 7 percent of calories and MUFA up to 20 percent of total calories.

MUFAs Ward Off Type 2 Diabetes
·  Spanish researchers studied the effects of three weight-maintenance diets on carbohydrate and fat metabolism and insulin levels in overweight subjects by randomly assigning them to 28-day diets high in either saturated fat, monounsaturated fat (MUFAs), or carbohydrate. Fasting blood sugar levels fell on both the MUFA-rich and carb-rich diets, but the MUFA diet also improved insulin sensitivity and boosted HDL cholesterol levels.

·  At Indiana University, scientists treated type 2 diabetes patients with either a MUFA-rich weight-reducing diet and or a low-fat, high-carbohydrate weight-loss diet for a 6-week period. Both groups lost pounds, but the MUFA group had a greater decrease in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels and a smaller drop in HDL cholesterol—and those results were sustained even after the group was allowed to regain the weight.

MUFAs Cut Metabolic Syndrome Risk
·  Researchers from the department of medicine at Columbia University in New York studied 52 men and 33 women with metabolic syndrome (defined as any combination of low HDL cholesterol, high triglycerides, or high insulin). Over 7 weeks they were randomly assigned to either a typical American diet with 36 percent of calories from fat or two additional diets, in which 7 percent of the calories from saturated fat were replaced with either carbohydrate or MUFAs. They found that LDL cholesterol was reduced with both the lower-saturated-fat diets, but MUFAs protected the HDL and lowered triglycerides, which were significantly higher with the high-carbohydrate diet.

MUFAs Reduce Inflammation
·  In a nutshell, inflammation is our immune system's response to stress, injury, or illness. It's a known trigger for premature aging and disease, but MUFAs are effective at quelling its "flames."

·  A Spanish study focused on a large group of men and women at high risk for CVD.23 It found that the consumption of particular Mediterranean foods, including MUFA-rich virgin olive oil and nuts, was associated with lower blood concentrations of inflammatory markers.

·  In an Italian study, the effect of a Mediterranean-style diet on inflammatory markers in patients with metabolic syndrome was studied. Over 3 years, researchers randomly assigned nearly 200 men and women with metabolic syndrome to either a Mediterranean-style diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and MUFA-rich nuts and olive oil, or a "prudent" diet composed of 50 to 60 percent carbohydrate, 15 to 20 percent protein, and 30 percent or less fat (the old Dietary Guidelines standard). After 2 years, patients following the Mediterranean-style diet, who had consumed more total grams of MUFA and fiber per day, had a greater decrease in mean body weight. The high-MUFA diet also significantly reduced blood concentrations of inflammatory markers and decreased insulin resistance.

MUFAs Lower Your Risk of Breast Cancer
·  In a study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, scientists from the department of medical epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, looked at data on 61,471 women ages 40 to 76 years from two counties in central Sweden who did not have any previous diagnosis of breast cancer. After following the women over time and evaluating both their diets and incidence of breast cancer, they found an inverse association between MUFAs and breast cancer risk. There was a 45 percent reduction in the risk of developing breast cancer for each 10-gram increment of MUFA consumed daily.

MUFAs Keep Your Brain Healthy
·  Scientists in the department of geriatrics in the Center for Aging Brain at the University of Bari in Italy set out to study the relationships between diet and age-related changes in cognitive functions. The researchers looked at a sample of 5,632 people between the ages of 65 and 84 in eight regions of Italy. They used a battery of standardized tests to assess cognitive functions, selective attention, and memory and evaluated the subjects' diets and found that those with the highest percentage of calories from MUFAs had the greatest protection against cognitive decline.

·  Another Italian study, led by scientists at the center's Memory Unit, investigated the role of diet in age-related cognitive decline (ARCD) by studying an elderly population in southern Italy that consumed a typical Mediterranean diet. They also concluded that high intake of MUFAs warded off ARCD.

MUFAs Extend Your Life
·  Several studies have looked at the link between MUFA intake and life expectancy. An 81?2-year follow-up to the Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging investigated the possible role of MUFAs and other foods in protecting against all-causes mortality.28 Among subjects without dementia between the ages of 65 and 84, scientists found that a higher MUFA intake was associated with an increase of survival, and there was no effect found in any other selected food group.

MUFAs Target Belly Fat
·  A 2007 study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that a MUFA-rich diet prevented central body fat distribution, compared with a high-carbohydrate and high-saturated-fat diet of the same calorie level.

·  Australian researchers randomly assigned overweight men to various 4-week diets composed of the same calorie level with different amounts of saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fat. The MUFA-rich diet resulted in lower total body weight and body fat. The authors concluded that a high-MUFA diet can induce a significant loss of body weight and fat mass without a change in total calorie or fat intake.

·  Another Aussie study compared post-meal body fat burning rates after two breakfasts: one with saturated fat from cream and one with MUFA from olive oil. The MUFA group had a significantly higher fat-burning rate in the 5 hours following the MUFA breakfast, particularly in the subjects with greater abdominal fat.

The Other Antidote to Belly Fat: Attitude
Of course, the Flat Belly Diet isn't only about food. Before we get to the eating plan, I want you to understand the one factor that will be key to making your dream of a flat belly come true—and that's your state of mind. Your emotions, stress level, and body image all play a role in how and when you eat—and even how and where you put on weight. That's right—your emotional state can actually cause you to store belly fat. In the next chapter, we'll explore this mind-belly connection in depth and reveal the secret to succeeding on the Flat Belly Diet. But for now, let's bask in the glorious knowledge that flattening your belly may be as easy as drizzling olive oil on your next salad, spreading peanut butter on a cracker, or—oh, yes—licking melted chocolate off your fingertips.