A diet high in unhealthy fats may increase your risk for developing heart disease. More than 102 million adults in the United States had high cholesterol levels in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 35 million of these Americans had levels high enough to put them at risk for cardiovascular disease. You can reduce your risk for heart disease by consuming the right kinds of fat.
Fat
The fat we eat gets absorbed into the intestines, then goes into the liver. The liver converts fat into cholesterol and triglycerides. High levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood are associated with elevated risk for heart disease. Cholesterol accumulates inside blood vessels, injuring arteries and preventing blood from flowing properly to vital organs of the body including the heart.
Total Fat
Total fat accounts for several types of fat found in the food you eat, including saturated fat, trans fat, monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fats. By law, manufacturers must display the total fat content, along with saturated and trans fat information. You can calculate the amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats by subtracting the saturated and trans fat content from total fat. For example, if a product has 12 grams of fat per serving, with 6 grams of saturated fat and 1 gram of trans fat, then the product has 5 grams of polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat.
Healthy Fats
Some types of fats are healthy. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats do not appear to raise blood cholesterol levels, according to the American Heart Association. Replacing unhealthy carbohydrates with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats lowers the risk for heart disease. Nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils contain these healthy types of fat. Cold water fish, like salmon and mackerel, are high in omega-3 fatty acids which are associated with good heart health. Eat fish twice a week to lower blood cholesterol levels.
Unhealthy Fats
Saturated fats are solid at room temperature, like the white substance along the edge of an uncooked steak or the white flecks in raw hamburger. Butter and dairy products, like whole milk and regular cheese contain saturated fat. Some plant foods, like coconut, coconut and palm oil and cocoa butter contain saturated fat. Saturated fats had long been targeted as causing heart disease, but scientists are finding saturated fat plays less of a role in heart disease than the consumption of trans fats, according to Harvard School of Public Health. Many commercially baked snack cakes and cookies contain trans fats. The food industry uses trans fats to lengthen a product's shelf life and to give it a creamier texture.
Limits
A healthy person should get 25 to 35 percent of his calories from fat each day. According to current recommendations, only 7 percent of those calories should come from saturated fat and trans fats should make up less than 1 percent of daily caloric intake. You can trim the visible fat from meat before cooking it, choose leaner cuts of meat, or opt for more vegetarian meals. Skim milk has less fat than whole milk or 2 percent milk. Choose low fat cheese instead of regular cheese products. ScienceDaily.com cites a study by Lund University in Sweden, which concluded that consuming butter raises blood cholesterol levels less than olive or canola oil, especially for women. This study, released in 2010, raises new questions about the role of fats in raising blood cholesterol and its subsequent risk for heart disease.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: September is National Cholesterol Education Month
- American Heart Association: Know Your Fats
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol: Out with the Bad, In with the Good
- ScienceDaily.com: Butter Leads to Lower Blood Fats Than Olive Oil, Study Finds
