Discussion Board

Here is something that was sent to me by the PrimitiveNutrition
guy. It is a discussion of experiments done on mice so one does not know if it translates to humans. However, it is possible.
The one sentence that caught my eye read that diabetics produce fewer endothelial progenitor cells so that injured arteries are less likely to be repaired. Risk factors can seem to improve and yet one can get plaque build up if there are too few endothelial progenitor cells.

Lately I have been wondering if, despite the improved usual risk factors, I am doomed, simply by having diabetes, to increasing plaque on my arteries over the years. Does anyone know if any of Dr. Esselstyn's original 18 patients were diabetic? This is very depressing and although the chances of producing less endothelial progenitor cells is greater with a low carb high fat and protein diet (according to the article), can even a good starch based diet prevent what might be inevitable? Is there anything a diabetic can do to increase the production of these endothelial progenitor cells? I am always reading about diabetes but this is the first I have read of these special cells produced in the bone marrow.

http://mygreendiet.com/wp-content/uploa ... 2/2286.pdf

And while I am writing--Dr. Esselstyn says in his book that thickening the cap over a plaque makes it less likely to rupture and form a clot. It wasn't clear to me. Does a plant based, no meat, dairy, fat, refined food diet cause thickening of the cap? Would anyone know the mechanism?

Didi

In Dr. Esselstyn's talk here in Arizona a couple of weeks ago, he discussed the progenitor cells. The typical SAD affects them in the same way that it affects the endothelial cells from what I understood. And, like the ability of the body to heal itself, the progenitor cells do better when in a body fed no oil, whole foods, plant-based. Whether more of the endothelial progenitor cells are produced, I couldn't tell you.

He actually talked about four systems to do with heart health and the production of nitric oxide: the endothelium, the endothelial progenitor cells, something else I can't recall (and didn't write down), and HDL. The foods that damage every one of these systems are:
Animal protein
Oil & fats
Caffeine
Sugar

Ah, my notes do say that green leafy vegetables increase the endothelial progenitor cells in the bone marrow. This is why Ann pushes kale, collards, and other green leafies in all the meals, even breakfast.

On a final note, I absolutely love one quote from Dr. Esselstyn's presentation.

Well, then we shall see. If you read the article you will see that the bone marrow of diabetics produces fewer progenitor cells. I certainly hope that all those leafy greens will make a difference in a diabetic.
Thanks for telling me about Dr. E's talk. I have seen his videos and never heard him discuss progenitor cells. There must be some new research because the article said the experiments had only been done on mice.

Didi

Effects of Obesity and Weight Loss on the Functional Properties of Early Outgrowth Endothelial Progenitor Cells: http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/55/4/357

Conclusions
Our findings demonstrate impaired adhesive, migratory, and angiogenic properties of EPCs isolated from the mononuclear cell fraction of obese individuals. These in vitro and in vivo results suggest that defects in EPC-mediated endothelial repair may be involved in the pathogenesis of obesity-associated cardiovascular disease. Although the short duration of follow-up did not allow us to directly assess the impact of EPC (dys)function on the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality of the subjects studied, our findings strongly support the importance of lifestyle modification and particularly weight reduction in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.