Portfolio diet

The Portfolio Diet is a therapeutic plant-based diet created by British researcher David J. Jenkins in 2003 to lower blood cholesterol.[1][2] The diet emphasizes using a portfolio of foods or food components that have been found to associate with cholesterol lowering to enhance this effect. Soluble fiber, soy protein, plant sterols, and nuts are the four essential components of Portfolio diet.[3] The diet is low in saturated fat, high in fibre. Researchers have suggested that the Portfolio diet may be a useful addition to statin therapy to help people achieve their lipid targets.[1]

Background

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.[4] Several risk factors have been identified as associated with cardiovascular disease. They include high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, being overweight or obese, and smoking.[5] The American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) suggested life style management to control risk factors in order to reduce cardiovascular risk. One of the strategies is to reduce dietary saturated fat, which should reduce low-density lipoprotein in the blood (LDL) which is considered “bad” blood cholesterol.[6] If dietary and life style management proves ineffective on its own, medication is added, such as statin, to reduce blood cholesterol levels. Soy protein, nuts, viscous fibre, and plant sterols have been found to have a cholesterol lowering effect. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a health claim for these foods. David Jenkins believes that inclusion of all these foods in the diet is more effective at lowering cholesterol.

Diet

A typical portfolio diet includes a daily intake of about 50 grams of nuts (such as almonds, peanuts and walnuts), 2 grams of plant sterols, 10-25 grams of soluble fiber (from sources such as oats, barley, and psyllium), and 50 grams of soy protein.[3]

  • Examples of food on the portfolio diet
  • Oat bran cereal
    Oat bran cereal
  • Plums
    Plums
  • Soy milk
    Soy milk
  • Granola with yogurt and fruit
    Granola with yogurt and fruit
  • Almonds
    Almonds
  • Bean soup
    Bean soup
  • Oat bread
    Oat bread
  • Tofu and okra
    Tofu and okra
  • Apples
    Apples
  • Oranges
    Oranges
  • Vegetable stir-fry
    Vegetable stir-fry
  • Soy-based meat alternatives
    Soy-based meat alternatives
  • Yogurt with fruit
    Yogurt with fruit
  • Psyllium fiber, three times a day
    Psyllium fiber, three times a day

Health effects

There is high-quality evidence that the portfolio diet significantly reduces LDL-C and has positive effects on cardiometabolic risk factors.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Chiavaroli L, Nishi SK, Khan TA, Braunstein CR, Glenn AJ, Mejia SB, Rahelić D, Kahleová H, Salas-Salvadó J, Jenkins DJA, Kendall CWC, Sievenpiper JL. (2018). "Portfolio Dietary Pattern and Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Controlled Trials". Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. 61 (1): 43–53. doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2018.05.004. PMID 29807048.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "Ask the Expert: The Portfolio Diet By Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN". Today's Dietitian Vol. 20, No. 10, P. 10. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b "In Depth: The Portfolio diet". lipidgeneticsclinic.ca. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  4. ^ Miniño, AM (2011). "Death in the United States, 2009". NCHS Data Brief, No 64. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
  5. ^ CDC (2011). "Million Hearts: Strategies to reduce the prevalence of leading cardiovascular disease risk factors—United States". MMWR. 60 (36): 1248–51.
  6. ^ Eckel, RH; Jakicic, JM; Ard, JD; et al. (2013). "2013 AHA/ACC guideline on lifestyle management to reduce cardiovascular risk: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines". Circulation. 129 (25 suppl 2): S76–S99. doi:10.1161/01.cir.0000437740.48606.d1. hdl:1903/24649.

Further reading