Artery-clogging saturated fat myth debunked
Among doctors and the public alike, there is a popular belief that dietary saturated fat clogs up the arteries and results in coronary heart disease. A new editorial published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine says that this notion of saturated fat clogging a pipe is “just plain wrong.”
According to researchers, ‘the conceptual model of dietary saturated fat clogging a pipe is just plain wrong.’
The team cited reviews that show no association between intake of saturated fat and a greater risk of heart disease, in order to support their argument against the existence of artery-clogging saturated fat.
“It is time to shift the public health message in the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease away from measuring serum lipids and reducing dietary saturated fat,” say the authors. Instead of focusing on lowering blood fats and cutting out dietary saturated fats, the importance of eating “real food,” partaking in regular physical activity, and minimizing stress, should all be emphasized.
According to Study the current approach to managing heart disease echoes the practice of plumbing, but the notion of improving the condition by “unclogging a pipe” has been invalidated by a series of clinical trials. The trials found that when a stent was inserted to widen narrowed arteries, the risk of heart attack or death was not lessened.
“Decades of emphasis on the primacy of lowering plasma cholesterol, as if this was an end in itself and driving a market of ‘proven to lower cholesterol’ and ‘low fat’ foods and medications, has been misguided,” the panel contends. These misconceptions may stem from “selective reporting of data,” they suggest.
Coronary artery heart disease is the most common type of heart disease and the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. The chronic inflammatory condition responds positively to a Mediterranean-style diet, rich in the anti-inflammatory compounds often found in extra virgin olive oil, vegetables, oily fish, and nuts, the researchers note.
By:-Assistant professor – Anita Mehar
Department of MLT Dept (Bio-chem.)
Uttaranchal (P.G.) College of Biomedical Sciences and Hospital