Eating just one meal high in saturated fat —
in this case, carrot cake and a milkshake —
can quickly prevent "good" cholesterol from protecting
the body against clogged arteries, a small study
shows.
The results of the research weren't a surprise
to the experts, but they say the findings reaffirm
something that more people need to understand:
"What we put into our mouth makes a big difference
in terms of our health," said Dr. Charles McCauley,
a cardiologist with Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin,
who reviewed the research but wasn't involved
with the study. "We really have to be very careful
as to how our food is processed and what kind
of ingredients we use."
In the study, at The Heart Research Institute
in Sydney, Australia, 14 people, ages 18-40, ate
two meals of carrot cake and a milkshake one month
apart. One meal was high in saturated fat —
using coconut oil — and the other was high
in polyunsaturated fat — using safflower
oil.
Saturated fat has long been linked to the buildup
of plaque that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
HDL, the "good" cholesterol, protects arteries
from the inflammation that leads to artery-clogging
plaques. And plaque hurts the ability of arteries
to expand to carry blood to tissues and organs.
The researchers, led by Dr. Stephen Nicholls,
a cardiologist now at the Cleveland Clinic, found
that three hours after eating the saturated-fat
cake and shake, the lining of the arteries was
hindered from expanding to increase blood flow.
And after six hours, the anti-inflammatory qualities
of the good cholesterol were reduced.
But the polyunsaturated meal seemed to improve
those anti-inflammatory qualities. Also, fewer
inflammatory agents were found in the arteries
than before the meal.
"They're looking at things in terms of real live
living," said McCauley. "Carrot cake. How more
real does that get?"
The study appears in the Aug. 15 issue of the
Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
"It's a simple study. Sometimes the best studies
are those that are very straightforward," said
Dr. Richard Milani, head of preventive cardiology
at Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans.
He notes that the research isn't suggesting that
people eat a steady diet of carrot cake and milkshakes.
However, he said, "given a choice between something
with polyunsaturated fat and saturated fat, please
avoid the saturated fat."
Nicholls said "the take-home, public-health message
is this: It's further evidence to support the
need to aggressively reduce the amount of saturated
fat consumed in the diet."
Saturated fats are found mostly in food from
animals, including beef, pork, lard, poultry fat,
butter, milk and cheeses, and some plants, including
coconut oil, palm oil and cocoa butter.
Polyunsaturated fats are found in oils from plants,
including safflower, sesame and sunflower seeds,
corn and soybeans, many nuts and seeds.
Dr. James O'Keefe, a cardiologist at the Mid
America Heart Institute in Kansas City, said Nicholls'
study shows "a really important concept —
when you eat the wrong types of food, inflammation
and damage to the vessels happens immediately
afterward."
Too many people simply are eating the wrong kind
of fats, O'Keefe said.
"Even one meal of a double cheeseburger with
fries and a Coke will mess up your system, let
alone a steady diet of it, which is recipe for
disaster," O'Keefe said.
