REDUCING CHOLESTEROL: POLYMEAL AS A TASTIER ALTERNATIVE TO POLYPILL

April 23rd, 2009 by admin

The “Polypill” was an idea proposed by British researchers Wald and Law in 2003. It was to be an all in one drag that combines six drags that act to lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, aspirin to act as an anti inflammatory, and folic acid to lower homocysteine levels. The researchers claimed that if everyone over the age of 55 took this pill daily, rates of cardiovascular disease could be reduced by more than 80 percent. The Polypill generated a lot of publicity, but it has not been proven to be safe or effective. The biggest problems with it are cost, side effects (especially if the individual already takes other medication), and the fact that one dose cannot possibly suit everyone.

More recently, researcher Oscar Franco and colleagues have come up with the concept of the “Polymeal”. This is a combination of foods that they claim can reduce cardiovascular disease by more than 75 percent if consumed daily. The Polymeal is a much safer alternative with no side effects. The foods it comprises are almonds, dark chocolate, fish, wine, fruits, vegetables and garlic.

The benefits of the components of the Polymeal are as follows:

Ingredient % Risk reduction for cardiovascular disease

Wine 150mL/day 32%

Garlic 2.7g/day 25%

Fruit & vegetables 400g/day 21 %

Dark chocolate 100 g/day 21 %

Fish 114g four times a week 14%

Almonds 68g/day 12.5%

These results were obtained from data from the Framingham heart study and the Framingham offspring study.

A modified version of the Polypill, containing four drags (two blood pressure drags, a statin and aspirin) is to be trialed on patients with cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease in Australia this year. The study will be funded by the National Health and Medicine Research Council (NHMRC). It may prove effective for some, but it is a lot less expensive, safer and tastier to include the above heart protective foods in your diet regularly.