In the United States, coronary heart disease (CHD) and atherosclerosis are the leading cause of mortality.

The role of diet therapy in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is of great significance. Since 1990, our organization has investigated the biomedical and pharmacological properties of amaranth to ascertain its benefits for chronic diseases. Amaranth is a broad-leaf plant and produces seeds that can be used as flour.

It is high in calcium, iron, vitamin E, vitamin B-complex and squalene. Amaranth grain contains 6 percent to 10 percent oil, which is mostly within the germ. Amaranth oil is predominantly unsaturated oil (76 percent) and is high in linoleic acid, which is necessary for human nutrition. Oil extracted from Amaranthus cruentus contains 19 percent palmitic acid, 3.4 percent stearic acid, 34 percent oleic acid and 33 percent linoleic acid. The ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids was approximately 1-to-3.

Limited evidence demonstrates amaranth oil can lower cholesterol in animals. In a study conducted by Canadian researchers, hamsters received hypercholesterolemic diets consisting of a control, 2.5 percent or 5 percent crude amaranth oil for four weeks. At a 5-percent inclusion, amaranth oil decreased total and non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol by 15 percent and 22 percent, respectively, compared to the control. Similar findings were reported in another four-week hamster study, in which amaranth oil led to a consistent decrease in cholesterol. In another animal study, chickens fed amaranth oil had a decrease in blood cholesterol, possibly impacted by the grain’s tocotrienol and squalene content.

Classical methods for extracting oil from seeds do not work well in the case of amaranth, because amaranth seeds are very small and hard, and themethodis economically unprofitable. Instead, our lab created a new technology and device for extracting oil from amaranth seeds and analyzed it sphysico chemical and pharmacological properties. With this new technology, amaranth oil extraction is possible at lower cost, because the oil can be recovered at a higher level (7 to 8 percent), compared with classical method (only 2 to 3 percent). Also, in contrast to chemical extraction, this technology retains more vitamin E and squalene.

Using this technology, we extracted oil from the seeds of four species of amaranth and showed the stabilizing effect of amaranth oil to human erythrocyte (red blood cell) membranes. The research was focused on the effect of valinomicine (ionophores of the potassium channel) on the egress of potassium ions before and after treating the erythrocytes with amaranth oil. Previous work had established that amaranth oil affects the ion channels of erythrocytes, making them more stable.

A recent study we conducted examined the dose-dependent action of amaranth oil with diet therapy in patients suffering from CHD and hypertension accompanied by obesity. Eighty patients suffering from coronary heart disease and hypertension in the first and second stages accompanied by obesity of the first and third stages were under observation in one three-week trial. All patients received a reduced hyponatrium antiatherogenic diet (HAD), exercise, and hydro and physioprocedures. Sixty patients also received a dose of amaranth oil (6 ml/d, 12 ml/d or 18 ml/d) instead of sunflower oil, with 20 control patients on HAD only. Organoleptic properties and tolerance were evaluated based on the availability and intensity of side effects as a result of the intake of the amaranth oil.

At the end of the intervention, systolic blood pressure had decreased in all three treatment groups by 18 percent (6 ml/d), 19 percent (12 ml/d) and 21 percent (18 ml/d). Diastolic blood pressure was decreased by 14 percent, 15 percent and 19 percent, respectively. Inclusion of amaranth oil also contributed to a statistically significant decrease in total cholesterol levels by 14 percent, 17 percent and 20 percent, respectively. Triglycerides and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol dropped 13 percent, 21 percent and 36 percent, while LDL was lowered by 19 percent, 23 percent and 25 percent. Further, the value of the atherogenic ratio dropped by 18 percent, 23 percent and 32 percent. In addition, HDL levels remained relatively unchanged, while the control patients had a 9 percent decrease in HDL.

It is apparent amaranth oil can reduce the amount of cholesterol in blood serum and can be recommended as a functional food product for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Including amaranth oil in the diet may also help reduce blood pressure and could serve as an effective alternative to drug therapy in people with hypertension and CHD.

Danik Martirosyan, Ph.D., and L.A. Miroshnichenko, Ph.D., are with the Functional Foods Center in Dallas. They are the authors of Functional Foods for Chronic Diseases. Contact Martirosyan at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

References

1. Yanez E et al. “Chemical and nutritional characterization of amaranthus (Amaranthus cruentus)].” Arch Latinoam Nutr. 1994; 44(1):57-62.

2. He HP et al. “Extraction and purification of squalene from amaranthus grain.” J Agric Food Chem. 2002; 50(2):368-72.

3. Berger A et al. “Cholesterol-lowering properties of amaranth grain and oil in hamsters.” Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2003; 73:39-47.

4. Qureshi AA, Lehman JW, Peterson DM. “Amaranth and its oil inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis in 6-week-old female chickens.” J Nutr. 1996; 126(8):1972-8.

5. Martirosyan DM, Mnatsakanian VA, Gulxandarian AA. “Algunas Caracteristicas Bioquimicas y Biofisicas Del Aceite Extraido De semillas De Cuatro Eppecies De Amarantos (Amaranthus spp.).” Amarantos. 1994, Argentina, ISSN 0327-3989, 1-3.

6. Pogojeva AV et al [Martirosyan DM, editor]. “Effect of Amaranth Oil on Lipid Profile of Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases.” Functional Foods for Chronic Diseases. 2006; 35-45.