Have you recently sinned at McDonald's? Once in a while can't hurt so much, you might think. But now it turns out that one unhealthy meal is already harmful to the health of your vessels.
Once in a while a cone of fries, a quick bite at the Burger King or a nice croissant for breakfast. Everyone gives in to this need for a greasy bite at some point. But you better not do it anymore, because even sinning once with a meal full of saturated fats now turns out to be bad for your health.
This is according to research from the University of Montreal. If you eat a meal full of Mediterranean healthy fats, it might even have a positive effect on your blood vessels.
Heart disease
The study examined the effect of junk food and a typical Mediterranean meal on the endothelium. This is a covering layer of contiguous endothelial cells on the inside of the blood vessel.
The researcher was able to measure how quickly the veins dilate after a temporary closure (occlusion) five minutes after eating the meal. The functioning of this endothelium is closely related to the risk of coronary heart disease.
Healthy meals
In addition to this conclusion, the study also found that participants with high amounts of so-called triglycerides (fat) in their blood benefit more from the healthy meals. The blood vessels of these participants responded better to the Mediterranean meal when compared to people with low triglyceride levels.
