Blood Tests can Tell If You Skipped Eating Healthy Diet: Study

Blood tests help reveal if you swayed from your diet, according to a study.

Scandinavian experts from renowned Universities found a new method that helps identify if a person is truthfully following a healthy diet. They examined blood samples of 154 individuals to record their likelihood for cardio-metabolic diseases like high blood pressure and fat levels. This method also served as a dietary biomarker of foods containing healthy fat, saturated fat, fibre, protein and omega-3 fatty acids. The participants were assigned to stick to a healthy diet including vegetables, fish, canola oil, berries and whole grains.

The researchers looked at blood samples to note the levels of serum alpha linoleic acid for canola oil consumption, plasma beta carotene for intake of vegetables and plasma alkylresorcinols as biomarker for whole grain consumption. When the subjects skipped eating healthy food and treated themselves with fatty snacks and desserts, it easily showed up in their blood tests.

"When investigating the health effects of whole diets, it is useful to measure multiple biomarkers reflecting the intake of different components of the diet," write the authors in the study, reports the First Post.

The scientists believe this method aids develop strategies to promote healthy eating and prevent major risks of unhealthy eating.

They add although, it is difficult to devote oneself to a diet pattern for longer duration, dieters must slowly adapt themselves to low fat diet instead of drastically changing their eating habits.

More information is available online in the Journal of Nutrition.