Ask Dr. Etingin: Best diet for your heart; Processed meats; Type 1 and type 2 diabetes
Is there a specific diet that is best for your heart?
According to the annual diet rankings from U.S. News & World Report, the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet tied for first place in the category of heart-healthy diets. The Ornish diet, which calls for eating very low amounts of fat, took the number three spot, followed by the flexitarian diet, which emphasizes a plant-based, “mostly vegetarian” eating plan that allows limited amounts of meat.
The rankings in U.S. News were determined by a panel of more than 20 members with expertise in nutrition, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and food psychology, including Dr. Louis Aronne, a professor at Weill Cornell and the director of the Center for Weight Management and Metabolic Clinical Research.
Incidentally, the Mediterranean diet also ranked No. 1 in best overall diet and tied for first place for the best diabetes diet and the best diet for healthy eating. That said, last year, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that the best diet for cardiovascular health was whichever of four healthy eating plans the participants followed the most closely. The healthy eating plans included a Mediterranean style diet and a plant-based diet.
Bottom line: It doesn’t matter how highly a diet is rated if it’s too restrictive for you to follow. If you need help finding an eating plan that will work best for you, ask your primary care physician (or your cardiologist, if you have one) for a referral to a registered dietitian.
What types of meats are considered “processed”?
Processed meats are meats that have been modified either to extend their shelf life or to improve their flavor. Processed meats include bacon, sausage (including Italian sausage, kielbasa, and bratwurst), ham, pepperoni, salami, pancetta, prosciutto, deli meats (including turkey and chicken breast), corned beef, pastrami, jerky, hot dogs, and canned meats (Spam, anyone?). Processing methods include smoking, curing, and adding salt or other preservatives.
One main health hazard in processed meats is sodium. A 3-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat, such as steak or roast beef, might contain 45 to 135 milligrams (mg) of sodium. But that same serving size of corned beef packs more than 800 mg of sodium, and three slices of cooked bacon provide about 480 to 550 mg of sodium.
Many processed meats contain additives called nitrites and nitrates. They give the meat color and extend its shelf life, but they are strongly linked to increased cancer risk.
Processed meats also tend to be high in saturated fat, which is associated with a higher risk of developing heart disease.
The American Institute for Cancer Research strongly advises that processed meats be eliminated from your diet altogether due to its link to increased risk of colorectal cancer. In addition, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has said that consuming processed meats is “carcinogenic [cancer-causing] to humans.”
What’s the difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes?
Both types of diabetes affect the way the body regulates the level of glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream.
People with type 1 diabetes can’t produce insulin. This type of diabetes often begins in childhood or adolescence, and symptoms tend to appear fairly quickly over the course of a few weeks. Type 2 diabetes is due to insulin resistance; the body makes insulin, but it is unable to use the insulin effectively to control blood glucose levels. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes often don’t appear until many years after the condition has developed.
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