Dining regularly on a 鈥淧olymeal鈥�, devised with ingredients to boost the health of the heart and blood vessels, could cut the risk of cardiovascular disease by more than three-quarters, researchers claim.
They say feasting on fish, garlic, almonds, fruits and vegetables, dark chocolate, all polished off with a glass of wine could substantially reduce the risk of problems such as heart attack when compared with the general population.
Oscar Franco, a public health scientist at the University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and his colleagues suggest the 鈥淧olymeal鈥� as a natural alternative to the 鈥淧olypill鈥�.
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This wonder pill 鈥� a cocktail of six existing drugs 鈥� was proposed in June 2003 as a preventive pill which might slash the risk of heart attack or stroke in people over 55 years old by as much as 80%. The proposal was underpinned by an analysis of over 750 trials of the existing drugs.
鈥淭he point we are trying to make is that it is not only through pills that you can prevent disease,鈥� says Franco. 鈥淭he Polymeal is a natural alternative.鈥� He says that by eating the prescribed food within a balanced diet, along with exercise and not smoking, a future of 鈥減ills and medicalisation鈥� could be avoided.
Tongue in cheek
But Nicholas Wald, at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, University of London, UK, who led the work on the Polypill concept, is less than impressed. He told New 杏吧原创 that the 鈥渢ongue in cheek鈥� paper published in Christmas edition of the British Medical Journal is 鈥渄esigned to amuse and should be taken in that vein鈥�.
He does however say that 鈥渂uried in it are some things that are sensible鈥�, such as fruit and vegetable consumption. Wald adds the paper may help focus attention on eating a healthy diet, which helps improve cardiovascular health.
Franco and colleagues devised the 鈥淧olymeal鈥� by searching the medical literature for ingredients. They then used mathematical models to analyse the effects that regularly eating certain foods could have on the cardiovascular health of a population.
The team based their models on a long-running heart health study, called the Framingham study, which has followed a population in Massachusetts, US, for 46 years.
The results suggested that the Polymeal could reduce cardiovascular events like heart attack by 76%. On average, men eating the meal could boost their total life expectancy by 6.6 years, and women by 4.8 years, the study estimates.
Body odour
But Wald points out that the scientific evidence to back some of the Polymeal ingredients such as dark chocolate or garlic, is far from established. for example, the recommendation that dark chocolate enjoyed daily can cut blood pressure stems from a research letter on work conducted in just 13 elderly patients.
And some crucial dietary factors for cardiovascular health, such as eating less saturated fats and salt are also not mentioned in the paper, notes Wald.
But Franco told New 杏吧原创 that the Polymeal would be likely to have fewer adverse reactions than taking the Polypill. However, bad breath and body odour could pose a problem with garlic, he jokes, unless everyone takes part.
鈥淲e do not recommend taking the Polymeal before a romantic rendezvous, unless the partner also complies with the Polymeal,鈥� the team writes.
Journal reference: British Medical Journal (vol 329, p 1447)
