If you like buttering your eggs, you might want to switch to olive oil instead.Replacing saturated animal fats with unsaturated plant fats can lower blood cholesterol and prevent both cardiovascular disease and diabetes, according to a recent study in Nature Medicine.
The study is significant because it reaffirms that the Mediterranean diet is both heart- and diabetes-friendly, says Dr Sweta Budial, endocrinologist and diabetologist at Fortis Hospital in Mumbai.
How can switching to unsaturated fats from plants benefit your heart?
Plant fats such as nuts, olives, avocados, pumpkin seeds, and safflower contain monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) that lower bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL) and triglycerides and raise good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein or HDL). Oils extracted from soybeans, sunflower, flaxseed, and walnuts contain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6. Compounds such as plant sterols, tocopherols, and phenolic compounds reduce plaque deposits and inflammation in the arteries. These help HDL cholesterol scoop up bad cholesterol from the arteries and send it to the liver for disposal.
How can vegetable fats help reduce the development of type 2 diabetes?
That’s because it contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that have a beneficial effect on the GLP-1 hormone, which stimulates glucose-dependent insulin release from the pancreas.
Animal fats should be avoided because fat is very high in calories – more than twice as many calories per gram of fat as protein or carbohydrates – and can cause weight gain over time, which can affect diabetes control.
The study discusses the development of a Multi-Lipid Score (MLS) to assess the impact of dietary fat on blood lipids. How can this help assess a patient’s health?
In routine clinical practice, doctors obtain a full lipid profile from blood but only use LDL cholesterol levels for decision making. MLS integrates information from multiple lipid parameters. Therefore, a higher MLS score is associated with a six-fold reduced risk of heart disease (32 percent vs. 5 percent) and a five-fold reduced risk of type 2 diabetes (26 percent vs. 5 percent).
Based on your findings, what specific dietary changes would you recommend?
Drastically reduce refined carbohydrates and saturated fats. Completely avoid processed and ultra-processed foods. Eat a diet rich in green leafy vegetables, fruits, protein, whole grains and legumes.
What are some other benefits of using unsaturated fats from plants?
Not only can it reduce your risk of heart disease and diabetes, it can improve your lifespan and quality of life, lower your risk of cancer, and it can also reduce your risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
A 22-year Harvard study of 90,000 people found that a high intake of vegetable fats was associated with a 16 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality, while an intake of animal fats was associated with a 21 percent higher risk of death from any cause.
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First uploaded: July 19, 2024, 7:26 AM