Always
check with your family doctor before making any major
lifestyle changes.
Saturated
Fat - Saturated Fatty
Acids - SFA's - AVOID THESE - They are
solids at room temperature! Meats.
Monounstaurated
Fat - Monounstaurated
Fatty Acids -MUFA's - When you eat fats eat these.
But remember you CAN have too much of a good thing. They
are liquid at room temperature. Olive oil and nuts.
Polyunsaturated
Fat - Polyunsaturated
Fatty Acids -PUFA's - Seek these out.
But remember you CAN have too much of a good thing. They
are better than the monounsturated fats. Fish.
Not all fats are created equal
Fat is one of three main nutrient groups that supply
calories in food (the other two are protein and
carbohydrate). All fats in foods are made of glycerol and
fatty acids, which are combinations of carbon, hydrogen
and oxygen chains. The thought of chemistry may make your
head spin, but the arrangement of fatty acid chains is
crucial, as it determines their effect on heart disease.
Saturated
fatty acids (SFA) BACK are fully packed,
or saturated, with hydrogen. These types of fats are
typically solid at room temperature and are found
primarily in animal foods such as meat, poultry, butter,
and whole milk. SFA are also found in coconut, palm, and
palm kernel oils. SFA raise levels of cholesterol and
increase risk of heart disease because of their hydrogen
content.
Monounsaturated
fatty acids (MUFA) BACK
are missing one hydrogen pair and are liquid at
room temperature (hint: the word mono indicates that
there is only one place where hydrogen is missing). Good
food sources of MUFA include canola, olive oil, some nuts
and avocado. MUFA help lower cholesterol levels and
decrease the risk of heart disease.
Polyunsaturated
fatty acids (PUFA) BACK are
fatty acid chains missing two or more pairs of hydrogen
(hint: the word poly means many, as in more than one
place where hydrogen is missing). PUFA are liquid or soft
at room temperature and are found in corn, safflower,
soybean and sunflower oils. PUFA do not raise cholesterol
levels.
How MUFA can decrease risk of heart disease
Epidemiological studies have shown a clear relationship
between a higher intake of MUFA and a lower risk of heart
disease. The DELTA Study (Dietary Effects on Lipoproteins
and Thrombogenic Activity) looked at the difference
between a standard American Heart Association Step I diet
(7-10% SFA, up to 10% PUFA and up to 15% MUFA) and a diet
high in MUFA (9% SFA, 21% MUFA). Both diets lowered total
and LDL cholesterol by 5 and 7% respectively, but the
MUFA diet also lowered triglycerides by 4% while the Step
I diet increased triglycerides by 12%. HDL
("good") cholesterol decreased on both diets.
However, on the MUFA diet HDL decreased only 4.3%,
compared to a 7.2% decrease on the Step I diet. The
authors conclude that a diet high in MUFA results in
lower triglyceride, total, and LDL levels and higher HDL
levels than the AHA Step I plan, thereby contributing to
decreased levels of heart disease.
The Nurse's Health Study followed over 80,000 women for
14 years and found that a high MUFA intake protects
against heart disease. Results of this study showed that
an increase of 5% of energy from SFA leads to a 17%
increase in coronary artery disease, while replacing 5%
of energy from SFA with MUFA reduces risk of heart
disease by 42%.
MUFA promote a healthy heart and
cardiovascular system by:
* allowing less oxidation of LDL cholesterol, a key
process in the formation of atherosclerotic plaque.
Because MUFA are missing one hydrogen pair, they attract
free radicals which otherwise would oxidize LDL
cholesterol, causing damage to the interior lining of
arteries.
* helping protect against stroke and heart attack by
decreasing platelet aggregation. When platelets clump
together, or aggregate, they form clots or blockages. A
blockage in the brain causes a stroke, while a blockage
in one of the coronary arteries causes a heart attack.
* helping decrease levels of triglycerides, a form of
circulating fat found in plaque and cholesterol.
* Promoting higher levels of HDL cholesterol, thereby
helping to decrease the risk of heart disease.
Increasing MUFA in your diet
The largest benefit in terms of reduced risk of heart
disease is found when SFA are replaced with MUFA. Since
SFA increase risk of heart disease, and MUFA reduce that
risk, changing both at the same time gives the greatest
benefit. In addition, people who follow a diet low in all
types of fat may see increased benefits by adding small
amounts of foods high in MUFA to their daily diet. Try
these ideas to use MUFA as part of your heart-healthy
diet:
* Replace butter (high in SFA) with a spread made from
olive oil (high in MUFA).
* Choose hazelnuts for a snack (high in MUFA) instead of
cheese (high in SFA).
* Dress your tossed salad with vinaigrette made from
canola oil (high in MUFA) instead of ranch or Thousand
Island dressing (high in SFA).
* Cook exclusively with olive or canola oil, both high in
MUFA.
* Look for margarines made with canola or olive oil as
the first ingredient. These types of margarines are also
lower in SFA, giving you a double bonus.
* Include avocado in your tossed salads to increase MUFA
intake.
Remember fats are concentrated sources of calories,
meaning that there really can be too much
of a good thing! Use the following chart to estimate the
amount of total fat and MUFA you should get in your diet
for optimum heart health. It helps to remember that every
tablespoon of fat such as olive or canola oil contains
approximately 11 grams of fat. Using these calculations,
someone consuming 1800 calories per day should use
approximately three tablespoons of olive oil per day.
Calories
|
Grams
of total fat
(30% of total
calories)
|
Grams
of MUFA
(15% of total
calories)
|
1200
|
40
|
20
|
1500
|
50
|
25
|
1800
|
60
|
30
|
2000
|
66
|
33
|
|
