Less meat, more plants: top US heart body’s diet advice at odds with MahaAmerican Heart Association bucks Trump administration line to suggest prioritizing plant-based protein over meat In contrast to the federal government’s recommendation of use of beef tallow and consumption of red meat, the AHA pushed for plant-based proteins such as legumes, nuts and seeds. Photograph: Allen J Schaben/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images The American Heart Association’s new nutrition guidance, released on Tuesday, emphasizes a dietary pattern rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains, prioritizing plant-based protein over meat. It also suggests limiting the use of sugar, salt and ultra-processed foods and replacing full fat dairy with non-fat and low-fat dairy. Donald Trump earlier this year announced a new slate of dietary guidelines that recommended Americans eat more protein from both animal and plant sources, and encouraged the consumption of full-fat dairy. In contrast to the federal government’s recommendation of use of beef tallow and consumption of red meat, the AHA is pushing for plant-based proteins such as legumes, nuts and seeds, choosing low-fat or fat-free dairy, and, when consuming red meat, selecting lean cuts, avoiding processed forms and keeping portions small. The Trump administration and health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s push to “Make America healthy again” has focused on the removal of synthetic dyes, other chemical ingredients, ultra-processed foods, consumption of less sugar and seed oils. The AHA also suggests Americans choose sources of unsaturated fats, avoid ultraprocessed foods and minimize intake of added sugars in beverages and foods. The organization recommended Americans to prepare foods with minimal or no salt, and limit the intake of alcohol. The guidance also recommended children can and should begin following a heart-healthy dietary pattern starting at one year old. The AHA’s guidance was aligned with the US Food and Drug Administration’s dietary guidelines on major issues, a spokesperson from the FDA said, adding they looked forward to working collaboratively with AHA. The AHA, which is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke, releases dietary guidance about every five years to promote cardiovascular health. ARTICLE SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/01/american-heart-association-dietary-guidelines-maha
This is an interesting video. Nicholas Norwitz performed an experiment on himself, demonstrating that adding carbs to an otherwise ketogenic diet would lower LDL better than Statin therapy. He changed nothing about his normal daily diet, except for adding a bunch of cookies to his daily regimen.
Paper link: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/14/1/73
Aim: To tested the prediction -- consistent with the Lipid Energy Model (below) -- that adding carbohydrates (in the form of Oreo cookies) to an LMHR on a ketogenic diet would reduce LDL-C levels by a similar, or greater, magnitude than high-intensity statin therapy.
Findings: Oreo supplementation (12 cookies/d) lowered LDL-C by 71% (273 mg/dl) in just 16 days. Rosuvastatin (20 mg/d) lowered LDL-C by 32.5% (137 mg/dl). Thus, Oreos were ~2X as potent as high-intensity statin therapy for LDL cholesterol lowering in this LMHR subject.
The Why: The LMHR phenotype has much to teach us about human metabolism, and cardiovascular disease pathophysiology. It's a new frontier that deserves further study, for the sake of the patients with this phenotype and for pure scientific curiosity! This experiment will serve as 'productive provocation,' a form of 'legit-bait' that will hopefully help prompt discussions and larger-scale experiments that need to happen.
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