EATING WELL MAGAZINE

Vitamins may not be a cure-all for a high-fat diet, but a new study suggests that antioxidants can fend off at least one negative aspect of the occasional indulgence.

University of Maryland cardiologist Gary' Plotnick measured the effect of a fatty meal on one of the lesser-known problems associated with heart disease: a decrease in the ability of arteries to expand to accommodate increased blood flow. When his healthy volunteers ate a meal of an Egg McMuffin, a, Sausage McMufin and two orders of hash browns (900 calories, 50 percent fat), their arterial response was markedly impaired for two to four hours. But when the volunteers popped vitamin E (800 i.u.) and vitamin C (1 gram) before eating, the arterial response was similar to that following a low-fat meal of cereal and skim.

Plotnick says that although his studies are preliminary, the results suggest that high-fat meals may, contribute to coronary-artery disease by impairing normal blood-vessel response, and that antioxidant vitamins may intervene. Many details still need to be explored, including the effects of different types of fat and different types of antioxidants.