Transfats and your risk of heart disease   Frank Barnhill M.D.
 

   The good news about fat in your diet is that not all fats are bad for you. The bad news is “transfats” are really bad for you. The National Academy, which sets recommended nutrients for your diet, the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, has advised Americans consume as few transfatty acids as possible.

Transfatty acids are artificially partially saturated regular fats that have been chemically altered to stabilize the fat and prolong the shelf life of the product so these fats and foods containing these fats will not spoil as quickly. Lard and butter are examples of saturated or a combination of saturated and partially saturated fats, which are solid at room temperature. Some partially saturated fats can be almost liquid at room temperature and may be found in butter substitutes, oily seasonings and many processed foods such as commercial fried fish.

The problem: transfatty acids have the following effects on your body:

• Cause more atherosclerosis, cholesterol plaques or hardening of your arteries than even saturated fats such as butter
• Double your levels of bad cholesterol (LDL-C or low density lipoproteins) when compared to good cholesterol (HDL or high density lipoproteins). This definitely increases your risk of stroke and heart attack
• Increases chemicals in your bloodstream that cause inflammation in the vessels (coronary arteries) around your heart. Inflammation and the swelling and chemical changes caused by inflammation are thought to be principal components of the heart attack (myocardial infarct) process
• Cause an increase in C-reactive proteins which have been implicated in progressive heart disease and heart attack and possibly strokes

So what can you do to decrease the amount of transfatty acids in your diet and reduce your risk of heart disease and possibly stroke?

• Avoid eating processed foods such as commercially fried fish and meats, potatoes, and other vegetables unless prepared in transfatty acid free conditions
• Read the labels on baked goods and seasonings, and avoid those with transfats, instead look for foods with unsaturated fats.
• Purchase unprocessed foods for your family and use unsaturated fats in their preparation. Fresh fruits and vegetables prepared without saturated fats will add flavor, minerals and vitamins to your diet.
• Avoid overeating or frequent consumption of fast foods unless you know the food was processed in unsaturated fats. I know this suggestion is really hard to follow in today’s fast paced, time constrained world, but if in doubt, ask before you purchase fast foods. Most fast food restaurants have nutrition handouts that described all their prepared foods.

To help keep you healthy, the new dietary reference intakes for recommended daily dietary fat range between 20% and 35% of calories eaten for adults and 25% and 40% for children. In addition, increasing omega-3 fatty acids in your diet will help offset some of the inflammatory effects of other ingested fats. For further information on omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, essential, beneficial nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, please visit www.drhuggiebear.com .

Here’s to healthy eating and a long prosperous life!

Dr. Frank

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