Newswise — CLEVELAND -- Less sugar and salt, more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains; those are the recommendations in the new dietary guidelines put out every five years by the United States Department of Agriculture. This was clear.
"The guidelines are a little bit less clear when it comes to saying red meat and processed foods should be restricted," says Sahil Parikh, MD, interventional cardiologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. "They say you should reduce saturated fat without saying expressly you should reduce red meat and processed food, which frequently contain high levels of saturated fat."
Red meat and processed foods contribute to cholesterol, plaque, and atherosclerosis, which can result in heart attack and stroke.
Dr. Parikh agrees with reducing hypertension-causing sodium and says the new measure of also reducing sugar to 10 percent of daily caloric intake (50 grams or one can of soda in a 2000 calorie-a-day diet) is another good measure.
"Clearly there is a diabetes epidemic in this country and dietary sugar and caloric intake specifically contribute to obesity and subsequently Type 2 diabetes," he says.
The guidelines also say it's okay to consume alcohol moderately (one drink for women daily and two drinks for men), with wine showing some benefit to the heart. Additionally, moderate coffee drinking (three to five cups a day) is alright as well, because it's shown to reduce Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and possibly Parkinson's disease.
Sound bites and b-roll from Sahil Parikh, MD, interventional cardiologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, are available for download on University Hospitals Case Medical Center Newsroom www.news.uhhospitals.org/.
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