According to some experts in the nutrition sector, fat should not be banned from our everyday diets, as it can actually lower the risk of heart disease, according to a report carried by the Express. In the context of trying to eat food that is beneficial to our health, we tend to avoid Eating fat almost as much as we avoid eating after 6 PM in the evening. So it may come as a shock to hear nutrition experts talking about the beneficial effects of fat.
Are all types of fat good for us?
It is mainly the saturated fats that scientists and experts refer to.
According to the cardiology expert Dr. Malhotra from the Croydon University Hospital, people with high cholesterol should be eating Saturated Fat as the efficiency in lowering cholesterol is three times higher. Dr. Malhotra emphasized the importance of the ratio of blood fats, which should be kept at healthy levels. He explains that the previous scientific studies made on the relation between the fat intake and cardiovascular disease were not exactly correct. This means there was indeed a correlation, but the correlation was not relevant. He states that there were multiple causes that led to Heart Disease and that fat wasn't actually a significant factor. It seems that saturated fat wasn’t what caused health problems.
The US, a good example?
To support what he said about saturated fats, Dr. Malhotra gave the example of the U.S., stating that even though in the past three decades the number of daily calories that came from eating saturated fat had decreased, it had been replaced with added sugar in many food products. This not only compensated for the number of calories, adding to the weight gain phenomenon, but also impacted the insulin level which could cause diabetes.
Professor David Haslam, the chair of the National Obesity Forum in the UK also supports this new way of looking at saturated fat, stating that refined carbohydrates and sugar are the main cause of heart disease, the Express reported.
How can the issue be solved?
So how can the news about saturated fat be spread to the population?
How can we increase awareness about this new trend? Some people may state that personal responsibility regarding one’s health is the right answer. However others, for example, Dr. Malhotra believe that it should be included in public health education. He even stated: “It is time to bust the myth of the role of saturated fat in heart disease and wind back the harms of dietary advice that have contributed to obesity.”
Whether it’s a matter of getting yourself informed or receiving this new health advice as a result of public health initiatives, it’s something worth discussing as it affects many people. We should also be careful with the quantities of saturated fat that we eat. This is not necessarily because it’s fat we’re talking about, but as the excess intake of food, however healthy the food may be, is still an excess.
