Continued from Daily Dose for Feb 16th

I am a Fat Head

The bad fats and the imbalanced diet leads to a significant amount of inflammation. Inflammation is the root-source of heart disease, weight gain, fatigue, abnormal lipids, and almost every chronic medical condition that we experience. Eventually, we run out of the ability to just take a pill.

It is true.  What other jobs or role does fat have in our body?

The list is almost endless. This is a partial list:

û  Fight inflammation

û  Manage and stabilize heart rhythms

û  Important structural roles in maintaining nerve impulse transmission, memory storage, and tissue structure

û  Essential in regulating sexuality, reproduction, and development of the human sex organs

û  Regulating the water balance in the body

û  Steroid hormones can also freely flow in and out of cells, and they modify the transcription process, which is the first step in protein synthesis

There was a recent study that further edified the diet that I, as well as others, speak of:  Optimal Macronutrient Intake Trial for Heart Health (OmniHeart). This trial clearly showed that the best diet is a diet that is rich in unsaturated fat, predominantly monounsaturated fats thereby replacing the carbohydrate-rich diet that is being promoted by the marketers for the snack food companies, the bread companies, and other parties interested in our society becoming a poly-pill society versus a poly-food society!

The OmniHeart study actually showed a lower blood pressure, improved lipid levels, and a reduction in cardiovascular risks. What is the take home message?

Recommendations and facts from the best and most recent literature:

1.      10-25% of all calories should come from monounsaturated fats

2.      8-10% from polyunsaturated fats (max)

3.      Keep saturated fats as low as possible. Our bodies are quite efficient at making these types of fat in levels that are needed. Any excess is very dangerous to cardiovascular health.

4.      Unsaturated fat will lower LDL but raise HDL

5.      Saturated fats will raise both HDL and LDL (no benefit).

6.      Avoid Trans Fats! Period. End of that discussion!

7.      Replacing 80 calories from carbohydrates with 80 calories of polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats will lower the risk of heart disease by 30-40%!

8.      Nurses’ Health Study showed that replacing 30 calories of carbohydrates with 30 calories of Trans fats doubled the risk of heart disease.

Okay, what are the best fats?  What are the worst fats?

Tomorrow,

Dr. Haendiges