Are you willing to dine on caveman cuisine to lower your cholesterol or your blood pressure, or to improve your blood sugar control? There is emerging evidence that a Paleolithic, hunter-gatherer-type diet (Paleo diet), which includes lean meats but excludes all grains and dairy, can improve your cardiovascular health and blood sugar metabolism. To find out more, a group of researchers from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine conducted a preliminary study of Paleo diet benefits published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.[1] Based on their initial research findings, they are now working on a larger follow-up study.[2]
Subjects gave up grains, dairy, potatoes, and more
In the carefully designed study, Dr. Lynda Frassetto, a Health Sciences Clinical Professor at UCSF School of Medicine, and her colleagues found that ten days of a Paleo diet benefits cholesterol profiles as well as blood pressure and blood sugar regulation. The nine subjects were sedentary and overweight, but not obese, and otherwise healthy. They ate a normal diet for three days, ramped up to a Paleolithic diet over a week, and then stuck to it for another 10 days. The Paleo-type diet included meat, fish, poultry, eggs, fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, canola oil, mayonnaise and honey, but excluded dairy products, legumes, cereals, grains, and potatoes. All food was provided and portions were adjusted to purposely keep the subjects’ weights steady so that Dr. Frassetto and her colleagues could be absolutely sure the health benefits were the result of the diet itself and not weight loss.
Paleo diet benefits cholesterol levels by decreasing LDL “bad” cholesterol by as much as 22%
The results showing the Paleo diet benefits were striking. The subjects’ “bad” cholesterol—low-density lipoprotein (LDL)—was roughly 22 percent lower. According to Dr. Frassetto, that level of LDL cholesterol reduction is similar to what you would expect from six months of treatment with a cholesterol-lowering statin drug. All but one of the participants had lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL. Plus, all nine had lower levels of triglycerides as well as another “bad” cholesterol, called very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL). (Want another idea to lower cholesterol? Try natural berberine supplements.)
The Paleo diet’s high potassium and reduced sodium resulted in lower blood pressure
Even though the study participants did not have hypertension to begin with, they all experienced significant reductions in blood pressure. Average systolic and diastolic pressure both decreased by 3 mmHg. The Paleo diet benefits for blood pressure didn’t surprise the researchers since the diet was low in sodium and high in potassium. The combined effect of lowering sodium while increasing potassium is well-known to lower blood pressure. (Find 7 foods that lower blood pressure here.)
Insulin sensitivity was improved by following the Paleo diet
The Paleo diet benefits also included the participants’ blood sugar metabolism and insulin levels. They were given a standard glucose challenge to assess what is known as glucose tolerance and another test to assess insulin sensitivity. Both glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity are related to the risk for diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease. After the Paleo diet, the subjects could maintain the same blood sugar concentration with significantly less insulin secretion. The ratio of insulin to glucose decreased significantly by about 40% and the subjects showed improved insulin sensitivity, meaning they required relatively normal or low levels of insulin to process glucose. People with insulin resistance, on the other hand, have poor insulin sensitivity and therefore need a lot of insulin to process glucose, which leads to health problems.
Because of these excellent preliminary results, Dr. Frassetto and a team of UCSF researchers are now conducting a larger follow-up study, which they hope to complete in June of 2013, to evaluate the effects of a Paleo diet compared to an American Diabetic Association diet on Type 2 diabetic patients for 21 days.[2] They hypothesize that the Paleo diet will improve blood sugar control with less need for diabetes medicines and will also benefit blood vessel function, cholesterol profiles and blood pressure.
How to reduce your cholesterol and achieve other Paleo diet benefits
If you’re looking for natural, drug-free ways to improve your cardiovascular health, cholesterol, blood pressure, or blood sugar, a trial of the Paleo diet might be for you. If reducing your high cholesterol naturally is your primary goal, the Paleo diet is just one option of many. For a comprehensive, easy-to-read, and exceptionally useful guide to natural cholesterol and triglyceride reduction, see Natural Cholesterol Control: Achieve Healthy Cholesterol Levels without Drugs. This resource provides natural healing steps to correct your cholesterol problem by addressing the root causes high cholesterol production.
[1] Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009 Aug;63(8):947-55.
[2] ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00548782
This blog was originally published in 2013 and has been updated.
The post Paleo Diet Benefits Include Improved Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Blood Pressure, and Insulin Levels After Only 10 Days appeared first on Natural Health Advisory.
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