When it comes to heart health and animal fats, not all fats are the same. Although there's a strong link between the saturated fats in red meat and coronary heart disease, or CHD, many types of fish are rich in omega-3 fatty acids that lower your risk of developing cardiac problems. MayoClinic.com lists fatty fish as one of the top five foods to reduce unhealthy cholesterol readings and promote heart health.
Vital Nutrient
Omega-3 fatty acids are a specific kind of polyunsaturated fat that promotes both brain and heart health. Your body doesn't manufacture omega-3 fatty acids, so you need to select dietary sources for this nutrient. Fatty-cold water fish such as mackerel, herring, sardines, lake trout, salmon, halibut and albacore tuna contain the highest amount of omega-3 fatty acids, says the American Heart Association. There are two main types of omega-3 fatty acids in fish: eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA.
Coronary Heart Disease
Your liver and other body cells manufacture about 3/4 of the cholesterol in your body, while the animal products you eat contribute the remaining 1/4. Although your body needs a certain amount of cholesterol to build and maintain healthy cells and produce hormones and vitamin D, too much cholesterol can lead to coronary heart disease. Low-density lipoproteins, or LDL, are known as the "bad" cholesterol, and high-density lipoproteins, or HDL, are called the "good" cholesterol. Excess LDL cholesterol adheres to the inner lining of the arteries that serve your heart to create the hard plaques associated with CHD. If you have enough HDL cholesterol, it can transport some of the LDL cholesterol to your liver so it can be excreted from your body. HDL may also be able to pull cholesterol from the arterial plaques, says the American Heart Association.
Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
When you eat fatty cold-water fish, you ingest DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids that can help reduce the amount of LDL cholesterol in your body, notes MayoClinic.com. These healthy fats also lower the amount of triglyceride fats in your body that can boost LDL levels, slow down arterial plaque formation, reduce total cholesterol readings and lower your blood pressure, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. All of these beneficial changes reduce your risk of dying from a heart attack, irregular heartbeat or stroke.
Recommendations
Eat at least two servings a week of fatty cold-water fish, says the American Heart Association. One serving equals three-quarters of a cup of flaked fish or 3.5 oz. of cooked fish. Choose heart-healthy cooking methods such as poaching, broiling or grilling fish and avoid fatty condiments such as tartar sauce and butter. If you have already been diagnosed with CHD, your doctor may recommend fish oil supplements to ensure you get enough DHA and EPA.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Cholesterol: Top Five Foods to Lower Your Numbers
- American heart Association: Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- MayoClinic.com: Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Fish Oil, Alpha-Linolenic Acid
- American Heart Association: LDL and HDL: What's Bad and What's Good?
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Omega-3 Fatty Acids
