Research Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Reveals a Heart-Healthy Diet is Important in All Stages of Life

ATLANTA – A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, August 20, 2003) revealed that 90 percent of heart disease is based on personal dietary and lifestyle choices (not genetics).

Commenting on this landmark research, Margo Denke, M.D., a renowned medical researcher and former chair of the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee, said, "These results demonstrate how critical and effective simple dietary changes can be in fighting heart disease – for entire families."

Children don't need to worry about heart disease, right? Wrong. A ground-breaking study published in the December 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that total and LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol can be lowered through diet in both children and adults. This cholesterol-lowering was accomplished through a simple dietary substitution: using soft margarine instead of butter.

The study, conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, confirmed that a margarine-based diet is healthier and may reduce heart-disease risk compared to a butter-based diet, said Dr. Denke, who was associate professor of internal medicine and senior author of the study. Denke added, “High cholesterol levels work over decades to cause heart disease. Children consuming diets high in saturated fat have higher cholesterol levels and more coronary artery plaque buildup than children on low saturated fat diets. A healthy diet has important long-term benefits.” Learn more about heart disease in childhood.

Forty-six biological families were selected to participate in this study (a first for directly comparing the effects of margarine and butter on cholesterol levels in both adults and children). Among those families, there were 92 parents and 134 children in all - some as young as six years old. The families followed a margarine-based diet for five weeks. They then switched to a butter-based diet for a period of five weeks. Participants consumed specially formulated breads, cookies and other products made with either the regular soft margarine or butter. The children involved in the study even took these items with them to school, ballgames, parks - wherever they might be eating foods and snacks.

The researchers found that compared to butter, the margarine diet lowered LDL cholesterol, in adults by an average of about 11 percent without affecting levels of HDL, or “good” cholesterol. Children also benefited from eating the margarine instead of butter, with a similar reduction in LDL cholesterol of about 9 percent. One mother whose family participated in the study noted that not only did her children have fun participating in the study, they also learned a lot about healthy eating since they could see tangible results. She added that the entire family was able to actually observe changes in their cholesterol profiles due to dietary modifications.

Because the study involved families, the researchers also looked at why some individuals respond more positively to a cholesterol-lowering diet. “Although differences in response to diet were observed, 80 percent of participants lowered their LDL cholesterol level on the margarine-based diet compared to the butter diet,” said Denke.

For more information about the study and heart-healthy eating, visit these sites:

• The University of Texas Southwestern
• The American Heart Association
• The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Denke et al. Individual Cholesterol Variation in Response to a Margarine- or Butter- Based Diet. Journal of the American Medical Association. December 6, 2000. Vol. 284. No. 21. 2740-2747.