Guest guest Posted June 5, 2004 Report Share Posted June 5, 2004 > > So Saturated > By Tallmadge > > Saturated fats are the " evildoers " of the nutrition world, and they come in > > the guise of some of the most delicious foods: butter, cream, cheese, > chocolate, coconut, prime rib. > > How could something so good be so bad? Well, first of all, let me assure > you > that not all saturated fats are created equal. In fact, some of the foods > high > in saturated fats have redeeming qualities that may mitigate their damage. > Second, if there's one thing I've learned in the field of nutrition, > there's > never just one magic -- or deadly -- bullet. > > I discovered the power of saturated fats while working with patients. I > found when saturated fats are cut to extremely low levels, cholesterol > levels drop > precipitously. I was stunned at what a simple dietary change could achieve. > > > The National Academy of Sciences says Americans should minimize their > intake > of saturated fats, which play a role in raising bad cholesterol (LDL) and > increasing the risk of cardiovascular disase, which kills half of all > Americans. > > Foods contain a mixture of fats, some of which are essential for health. > Certain polyunsaturated fats (the omega-3 fatty acids in seafood, flax and > walnuts, and omega-6 fatty acids in soybean and corn oil) are essential. > You > need > them in your diet because your body can't synthesize them, and you'll > develop > deficiency symptoms without them. > > Saturated fats are nonessential fats, which means that the body can make > them > on its own, so they're not needed in the diet. Chocolate and animal fats > found in dairy, meat, lard and tallow are high in a saturated fat called > stearic > acid. While other saturated fats raise LDL levels, stearic acid has been > found > to have a neutral effect on LDL. In fact, some folks in the chocolate, > dairy > and meat industries have pointed to this neutral effect as a reason to go > ahead > and enjoy these foods without worrying about the risk of heart disease. > > But a new study appears to challenge this claim. Scientists have found tat > > while it's true that stearic acid doesn't raise LDL levels, it still may > increase the risk of cardiovascular disease because it increases fibrinogen > > and > C-reactive protein levels in the blood. Fibrinogen and C-reactive protein > are both > indicators of inflammation, an emerging risk factor in cardiovascular > disease > development as well as cancer and many other diseases. > > " This news is going to change the thinking about stearic acid being > neutral, " > said Baer, lead investigator of the study, conducted at the > Department > of Agriculture's Diet and Human Performance Laboratory in Beltsville. > > In addition to stearic acid, there are three other common saturated fats -- > > palmitic acid (found in palm oil, chocolate and meat), lauric acid (found > in > coconut) and myristic acid (the most potent LDL-raiser, found in dairy and > coconut). These three fats raise not only LDL but also HDL, thus keeping > constant > that important ratio between the " bad " and the " good " cholesterol. > Scientists > are not ure how much protection this provides, despite the fact that HDL > levels are high. These saturated fats may also cause inflammation, but the > research > isn't definitive yet. > > But some foods that are rich in saturated fat contain protective, healthy > nutrients as well. Chocolate, for instance, contains antioxidants and > anti-platelet factors. Coconut also contains antioxidants. There is some > evidence that > these benefits may help outweigh the risks from the saturated fat. But most > > experts believe it is still not good to eat large amounts of these foods. > > Saturated fats, which are solid at room temperature, have other negative > effects. When they're high in the diet, they replace in the body's cells > the > more > positive unsaturated fats, which are liquid at room temperature. The > saturated > fats become incorporated into cell membranes and make the membranes more > rigid, causing malfunctions leading to, among other things, insulin > resistance. > > " Saturated fats can reduce insulin's ability to contro blood glucose and in > > the long run may cause type 2 diabetes, " says Hu, associate professor > > of > nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard University's School of Public Health. > > > Adding to the diabetes connection, a recent s Hopkins University study > found that dietary saturated fat correlated with higher levels of belly > fat, > a > known risk factor in heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. > High-saturated-fat diets may even play a role in dementia and Alzheimer's > disease. > > Unsaturated oils do just the opposite. If they're prevalent in the diet and > > can compete successfully with saturated fat, they incorporate into the cell > > membranes instead and increase cell fluidity and flexibility, which is one > of > many reasons scientists believe they're so beneficial to overall health. > > In fact, there is also a theory that the ratio of polyunsaturated fat to > saturated fat in the diet may be more influential in heart disease risk > than > the > absolute numbers -- yet another example of the importance ofbalance in the > world of nutrition. > > Several large studies have verified that when people replace saturated fat > with unsaturated oils, a 40 percent to 65 percent reduction in heart > disease > deaths can be achieved, especially when a little omega-3 fatty acid is > added. > Interestingly, these studies showed only a modest reduction in LDL, which > illustrates the importance of paying attention to other risk factors such > as > inflammation. > > Comparatively, treatment with statin drugs that lower LDL cholesterol > (arguably one of the most prescribed medications today) reduces heart > disease deaths > by only about 30 percent because it doesn't remove all the risks. So even > when > taking statins, dietary change is essential. > > " Diet and lifestyle change can work better than statins, " says Ernst > Schaefer, director of the Lipid and Heart Disease Prevention Program at the > > New > England Medical Center. " But the problem is compliance. " > > Many people find it challenging to reduce the amount of saturated fat in > teir diets. Life without chocolate or butter seems draconian and a goal > that > is > impossible to meet. But a heart-healthy diet need not be so austere if you > keep > balance and variety in mind. > > The trouble comes with extremes, when you're eating burgers, fries and a > shake -- all in one meal. Try this instead: Choose a leaner burger with a > green > salad and vinaigrette on the side and a bowl of berries and nuts for > dessert. > The antioxidants from the salad and berries, and the healthy fats from the > nuts > and vinaigrette just might counterbalance the saturated fat in the burger. > > Another solution would be to try to always have surf with your turf. The > anti-inflammatory compounds in the omega-3 fatty acids in fish may help > counteract > the inflammatory compounds in the beef. > > " And if you burned what you ate through activity, this all wouldn't be as > much of a problem! " says Baer, research physiologist at USDA. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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