This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Arasi Maran about an increased risk of heart disease from a high consumption of ultra-processed foods. Dr. Maran is an Associate Professor of Medicine and an interventional cardiologist at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Research shows a link between a high consumption of ultra-processed foods and greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and having a stroke. Doctor Arasi Maran is here to talk about the details. Doctor Maran is an Associate Professor of Medicine, and she's an interventional cardiologist at MUSC. Doctor Maran, many people in the U.S. are eating a high consumption of ultra-processed foods. What does the latest research show about this increased heart risk from a steady diet of these foods?
Dr. Maran: Thank you, Bobbi for giving me this opportunity, and it's truly one of my favorite topics. So, it's worth noting that the average American right now gets about 60% of the daily calories from ultra-processed food, and it increases the heart risk by at least 30%.
Conner: What are we really talking about when we say ultra-processed foods?
Dr. Maran: Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations of food which contains more than five ingredients, and substances which are not commonly used in home cooking. So, like high fructose corn syrup, modified starches, hydrogenated oils, additives, food coloring, substances to add texture. Examples are your hot dogs, chicken nuggets, pre-prepared frozen meals, your instant noodles, the snacks and the cookies, carbonated drinks, breakfast cereals, etc. And when your diet is more than 20% of these for calories, then your risk of heart disease goes up by at least 30%.
Conner: And how can we identify these ultra-processed foods when we're at the grocery store?
Dr. Maran: Actually, it's quite simple. Most of the ultra-processed food are stored in the middle of the grocery store, whereas the real food are in the perimeter of the grocery store. So, shop in the perimeter and just do very minimal shopping in the middle of the grocery store. And looking at the ingredient list can be helpful. If there are more than five ingredients, it's mostly ultra-processed. And, kind of focusing on real food, such as fruits and vegetables and berries and real meat instead of processed meat would be the way to keep yourself away from ultra-processed foods.
Conner: And Doctor Maran, what can individuals do in the adult years to monitor their heart risk?
Dr. Maran: So, it all depends upon your overall risk factors. So, let's start with the person who does not have high risk factors. In that case they should start checking their blood cholesterol levels maybe at the age of 20. Then every 4 to 6 years if the results are completely normal, once they hit the age of 40 and above, they should start checking once a year or once every two years based on the overall risk factors. Diet, exercise, the American Heart Association has reduced the number of steps to 5000, but sometimes achieving those 5000 steps can be difficult. Making sure your blood sugars are really well controlled, your blood pressures are well controlled. Overall, knowing your heart numbers is what is going to be important.
Conner: Apart from a healthy diet and also including exercise, what else should we focus on to have a healthy heart?
Dr. Maran: Smoking! Please do not start smoking. Vaping is not healthier than smoking. So if you are smoking or vaping, please stop smoking and vaping and that will definitely help your heart a lot.
Conner: Doctor Maran, thanks for this information about heart health.
Dr. Maran: Thank you, Bobbi.
Conner: From the Radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
