For years, scientists and doctors advised patients against saturated fats due to their proposed connection to heart disease. Saturated fats were blamed for causing heart disease, increasing its risk, and potentially making it worse. However, as science evolves, some things that were once conventional wisdom are being abandoned. Read on to learn why you should move your focus away from saturated fat and towards sugar if you're concerned about heart disease.
Saturated Fat Is No Longer The Villain
Many scientists have come forward to express that saturated fat isn't as bad for the heart as once believed. According to these scientists, the belief that saturated fat was terrible for the body came from a flawed study published several decades ago. The doctor who published the study started out with a belief that saturated fats were bad for the body, and performed a study of 22 countries to determine if he was correct.
Unfortunately, when some of his results revealed that saturated fat wasn't necessarily harmful, he omitted those results from his study rather than simply admitting that he might have been wrong. The study went on to become a huge part of the dietary guidelines for Americans, which suggested limiting fat intake to a bare minimum.
Since then, people have discovered that unsaturated fat can actually boost healthy cholesterol levels, and that saturated fat doesn't have the effect on the cardiovascular system that it was once believed to.
The Harm of Sugar
Since doctors and scientists have begun to lighten up on their saturated fat restrictions, their attention has turned to sugar. The average person's diet is inundated with sugar, and in addition to adding weight and increasing the risk of diabetes, it may also increase the risk of heart disease.
Unfortunately, one of the biggest problems in the American diet today is that low-fat foods were promoted as the healthy choice, and sugar was often used to make them taste good. As a result, Americans increased their sugar consumption and may have been increasing the risk of heart disease, too.
Work With Your Doctor
Limiting the amount of sugar you eat is something that most doctors would readily get behind, but you should always talk with your doctor first. Your doctor can help you to determine if you have the genetic risk factors for heart disease, and work with you to create an eating plan that can help lower any possible risk.
Heart disease is a scary subject, but researching it is the first step to protecting your heart. Talk to your doctor about what choices are right for you and whether you can increase your saturated fat intake. If your concerns pertain to your children, schedule an appointment at Alpert Zales & Castro Pediatric Cardiology.
Share13 June 2016
