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12/11/2011

Low Fat Diet, Cholesterol & Triglycerides Outcomes

Generally the notion is that limiting the quantity of fats in the diet to 10% is the correct way to go for lowering cholesterol levels. This notion is being countered by many health care specialists, the reasoning being for it is that following this type of diet for a long time is practically impossible, and it is more so impossible because the majority of people suffering from high cholesterol have to pretty much stay on diet indefinitely. For this reason many recommend to limit fat intake to 30%, which is practically more doable and reasonable to achieve long-term sustainable results. The key is staying absolutely away from saturated fats as much as possible, and getting the fats elsewhere.


Another drawback for a very low fat intake, more particularly fat intake that is less than 25%, is that this type of diet can lower HDL cholesterol and increase triglycerides, both of which are undesirable effects for persons cardiovascular health. The situation can get even more tricky for people who already have low HDL cholesterol levels. HDL-cholesterol in essential for carrying bad cholesterol out of artery walls, and having high HDL cholesterol levels generally results in lower risk of heart attack and better cardiovascular health. LPL cholesterol on the other hand is the one that forms the plague in arteries, which can later rapture and become a cause for heart attack.


For the reason mentioned above good to have mono unsaturated & polyunsaturated fats in your diet if you are HDL-cholesterol is already low. These can be found in olives, corn, nuts, soybean oils, canola etc.


Triglycerides are basically most of the fat in our diet and most of the fat that circulates in our blood as well. Combined with cholesterol triglycerides help the formation of plague. High amount of sugar and alcohol in diet raises triglycerides levels significantly, this includes sugars from natural sources, like honey and fruit. To lower triglycerides levels candy, pastries, pasta, soft drinks, white bread, fruit juices, alcohol and products like need to be avoided. In addition smokers and those who are overweight need to seriously consider, big surprise, quitting smoking and losing weight. High amount of omega-3 can help as well, however, the amount necessary cannot usually be obtained from natural sources. Moderate exercise has shown to have a great effect on lowering triglycerides in many studies, however, the effects of exercise on cholesterol lowering and triglycerides has shown some questionable results in some studies. Generally it seems like exercise can be much more effective in lowering triglycerides than in fighting LDL cholesterol or improving HDL-cholesterol. One thing is for sure that for years exercise has shown to improve individual's cardiovascular health in many ways, and just because some studies test numbers show some results that scientists cannot exactly explain doesn't really mean anything. Exercise is a great treatment for cardiovascular health, period.


The optimal triglycerides levels are below 150 mg/dL, however for people with cardiovascular problems it's optimal to stay below 100.

08:05 Posted in Science | Permalink | Comments (0)