[LindaT]

Tue Oct 22, 2:27 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As little as three weeks of eating healthily and exercising can significantly lower a man's risk of heart disease by reducing blood pressure and cholesterol, researchers reported Tuesday.

Eleven obese men who signed up for three weeks of eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet rich in fruits and vegetables lost a little weight but, more importantly, lowered blood pressure, the researchers reported in Tuesday's issue of Circulation.

The men also took a brisk daily walk.

"This is the first study to show that this type of diet and exercise can reduce oxidative stress, lower blood pressure, and improve risk factors for other chronic diseases in a very short time," R. James Barnard, a professor of physiological science at the University of California Los Angeles who led the study, said in a statement.


During the three weeks, the men got fewer than 10 percent of calories from fat, 15 to 20 percent from protein and 70 to 75 percent from whole grains, fruit and vegetables. They could eat all the whole-meal bread, pasta, fruit and vegetables they wanted.


They also walked on a treadmill for 45 to 60 minutes a day.


Barnard's team tested the men's blood for cholesterol, glucose and insulin measurements, all associated with heart disease, at the start and end of the program. They measured blood pressure, nitric oxide availability and looked for the presence of charged particles called "free radicals" that can damage blood vessels and cause heart disease.

Nitric oxide helps to relax blood vessels, reducing blood pressure, and higher levels can help prevent clogged arteries.

After just three weeks, the seven men who started out with high blood pressure had normal blood pressure.

Overall, the men reduced their cholesterol by an average of 19 percent, blood pressure by 14 percent and free radicals by 28 percent. Insulin levels plunged 46 percent and glucose fell 7 percent.