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Low-Fat May Not Always be the Best for the Heart
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
May 22 2004 | 905 views

Although a diet loaded with fats might be beneficial to a healthy person’s cholesterol levels, a study suggested extremely limiting fats from the diet could produce the opposite effect. Researchers who studied a group of 11 healthy individuals who led sedentary lifestyles noticed a drop in their HDL cholesterol, which was the "good" cholesterol thought to lower the risks of heart disease.

These findings suggested that a sufficient amount of fat intake could be a key factor to warding off heart disease by elevating the HDL levels.

Based on these findings, experts recommended moderate fat intake as part of the diet and getting approximately 30 percent to 35 percent of calories in the diet from fat. While it has been believed that saturated fats were responsible for raising "bad" LDL cholesterol levels, experts now say that unhealthy cholesterol levels might be caused by the combination of excess fats and too many calories.

Results from the study also revealed that those following the diet high in fat were provided with around the same number of calories as those who were adhering to the regular diets.

The low-fat diet participants lost a small amount of weight, however their HDL levels were much lower than the high-fat participants. In addition to these findings, the LDL levels of the high-fat dieters did not exceed the levels of those following the regular diets.

Yahoo News May 4, 2004


Dr. Mercola''s Comments
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
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Conclusions from the study revealed that both healthy sedentary people and active healthy people would NOT benefit from following a highly restricted low-fat diet plan.

Once again, as I have written about the dangers of low-fat diets in the past, research has revealed further negative consequences of following a low-fat diet.

Now, studies are suggesting that a high amount of fat in the diet may raise your HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Lower fat diets may be beneficial and may work for some; especially those with carbohydrate nutritional types, but all of us need some beneficial fats in our diet in order to stay healthy.

Please realize that fat phobia and exclusion of all fats from the diet is a prescription for disaster.

If you're following a low-fat diet in the hopes of losing weight, a much healthier option is to follow a healthy nutrition plan, which includes eliminating sugars and grains from your diet.

In addition to removing all grains and sugars from your diet, here is a list of some of the "good" sources of fat you should include in your diet:

  • Make sure you get plenty of omega-3 fats from fish oil or cod liver oil

  • Avoid canola oil, as it is partially hydrogenated before it is used commercially, which makes it a source of trans fatty acids. Instead, try using coconut oil, which is rich in short and medium chain fatty acids, and is highly health promoting

  • Eat organic eggs. Organic eggs are not only phenomenally inexpensive, but also contain an incredible source of high-quality nutrients that many of us are deficient in, especially high-quality protein and fat. For best results they should be eaten raw

Related Articles:

Low-Fat, High-Fiber Diet May Lower Calcium Absorption

Learn the Dangers of Modern Low-Fat Diets in This Exclusive Interview With the Author of Acclaimed Cookbook, "Nourishing Traditions"

More On Low Fat Nonsense

Low Fat Diet Won't Prevent Prostate Cancer

Scientist Questions Benefits of Low Fat Diets

Low Fat Diets Worsen Heartburn





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