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5 January 97
Volunteers are being sought in Tayside and North Fife to take part in a study which could provide answers as to why certain fats in the diet are better for us than others.
Scots are renowned for their fatty diet and their high risk of heart disease. Now two medical researchers from the University of Dundee are set to find out how different kinds of fats affect the circulation in a three year project which could have major implications not just for the national diet, but for the food industry and agriculture into the next century.
With the aid of close to £1/2 million from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Professor Jill Belch and Dr Caroline Bolton-Smith will test the effects of oil supplements taken regularly over a period of eight months by some 200 volunteers. Each oil supplement (kindly gifted by Scotia Pharmaceuticals Ltd) represents a different diet which can be achieved in everyday life by making a simple change in cooking oil or fat spread.
Professor Belch explains : 'How blood vessels function can be very important in influencing whether individuals are likely to get atherosclerosis - the hardening and thickening of blood vessel walls, and thrombosis - blood clots - both of which lead to heart disease.
'Blood vessels are not just tubes piping blood around the body, they actually do a great deal more. Healthy blood vessels work by producing substances which prevent cells from sticking to the sides of the vessels and by producing other substances which make the blood vessels wider so that clots are less likely to form. Many of these substances are influenced by what we eat and particularly by the types of fats in our diets.
'We intend to find out how different fats in the diet exert their influence. This information will help us to understand just why diet is so important to health. The implications extend to how we produce our food.'
In addition to what they normally eat, volunteers will take an oil supplement every day over a period of eight months. By running various tests on the composition of their blood cells and performance of their blood vessels before and after adding the oil to the diet, the researchers expect to show the effects of different kinds of fat on the circulation.
Said Dr Bolton-Smith : 'We will be testing six different types of oil supplement, each of which represents a different kind of diet. These range from a mix of saturated and unsaturated fat representing the typical Scottish diet; through supplements high in polyunsaturates such as fish oil, soya or sunflower; and in mono-unsaturates such as olive oil or rapeseed oil as well as a mix of different oils.
'The supplement is not unpleasant, it's like drinking a creamy peppermint liqueur after meals! Taking the supplements for these trials is instead of changing your diet. But once we have the results we will be relating them back to food. so people and food manufacturers can make changes to help improve health.'
Some dozen or so volunteers have already started the trials but the researchers need to recruit 10 - 20 people every month over the next two years or more to make the study a success.
'Volunteers should be between forty and sixty five years old, non smokers and post-menopausal. We are particularly targeting Tayside and North Fife as they will be asked to visit Ninewells every six or eight weeks over a period of around eight months,' she explained.
The study is expected to be complete at the turn of the century.
'It's very exciting to think that we could be in a position to help Scotland towards a healthier way of eating - a new diet for the new century, said Professor Belch.
Note for editors
Professor Jill Belch is professor of vascular medicine at the University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School and has a special interest in atherosclerosis and vasospastic diseases such as Raynaud's Disease. She has written two books and had some 250 papers published. She is married with three children all of whom, she says, 'eat olive oil, fish oil margarine and chocolate!'
Dr Bolton Smith is a senior lecturer in the department of cardiovascular epidemiology at the University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School. She has been researching into the role of dietary fats and other nutrients in coronary heart disease since graduating from Southampton University in 1981.
Contact Prof Belch tel 01382 660111 ext 2446/2457 (home 01738 551640)
Contact Dr Bolton-Smith tel 01382 632283 (home 01738 860736)
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