Eight Weeks to Wellness Prepared by Don Hall, DrPH, CHES and Gerard McLane, DrPH, CHES Week 3: Choose Healthy Fats © 2013, LifeLong Health. All rights.

Eight Weeks to Wellness Prepared by Don Hall, DrPH, CHES and Gerard McLane, DrPH, CHES Week 3: Choose Healthy Fats 2013, LifeLong Health. All rights reserved. 2 What is a Healthy Fat? There are basically two kinds of fats 1. Healthy fats (oils) Polyunsaturated fats (essential for life) Linoleic acid (n-6): found in corn, safflower, sunflower, most vegetable oils alpha-Linolenic (n-3): found in soy, flax, walnuts Monounsaturated fats Found in olives, Canola, avocado, nuts 3 What is an Unhealthy Fat? 2. Unhealthy fats (solid fats) Saturated fats mostly animal fats Trans fatty acids hydrogenated fats Neither are essential for life, are not needed by the body, and both raise risk for heart disease and diabetes. Saturated Fats and Health Saturated fats come mostly from animal sources All cholesterol is from animal sources Diets low in saturated fats and cholesterol help reduce the risk for: Heart disease and stroke High blood pressure Diabetes Certain cancers Bowel, prostate, and breast cancer Obesity American heart Association and the American Institute for Cancer Research Unsaturated Fats and Health Unsaturated fats are essential to health and when used moderately: Reduce blood cholesterol levels Help maintain HDL levels Help reduce insulin resistance and diabetes Are protective against heart disease and stroke Unsaturated fats are found mostly in plants, primarily in the seeds Polyunsaturated fats Monounsaturated fats Trans Fats and Health Trans fatty acids are also damaging to the body Trans fats come from hydrogenating vegetable oils Primary sources include: Hard stick margarine Vegetable shortenings Most baked goods and deep fried foods Processed foods (to increase shelf life) Harvards Nutrition Source 7 Physiological Effects of Fats Saturated & Trans Fats Raise cholesterol Raise blood pressure Lower HDL levels Increase insulin resistance Increase the risk for Heart disease Stroke Certain cancers Diabetes Unsaturated Fats Lower cholesterol Help to maintain healthy HDL levels Provide the body with essential fatty acids Lower insulin resistance Lower the risk for heart disease, stroke, and diabetes Harvards Nutrition Source 8 Plant Stanols/Sterols Plant stanols and sterols are substance found in some plants (e.g. soy beans) that lowers cholesterol It is put in some margarines such as Benecol Take Control Research shows that if you eat 2 grams/day of plant stanols/sterols, it lowers serum cholesterol by about 6-15 percent. This is an easy way to lower risk of high cholesterol NCEP, ATP 3, Guide to Therapeutic Lifestyle Change 9 Making the Right Choice Disease Good Health | | Poor choices Healthier choices - High cholesterol - Cholesterol free - High saturated fats - Mono-unsaturated fats - High trans fats - Poly-unsaturated fats - Solid fats - Alpha-linolenic fatty acids - Animal source fats - Vegetable source fats 10 The Goal The goal for good health is not to eliminate all fats but rather eat less of those that are damaging to the body: Saturated fats Trans fats And eat moderately of healthier fats: Vegetable oil (unhydrogenated) And plant foods containing healthy fats: Nuts, seeds, olives, avocado, flax meal, soy, and others Harvards Nutrition Source Comparison of Fats from Animal and Plant Sources Fat Grams per Tablespoon USDA Nutrient Database Composition of Vegetable Oils Fat (Grams per Tablespoon) USDA Nutrient Database Cottonseed Soybean Olive oil Sunflower Canola Butter added to compare Total Fat Intake as % of Calories Relative Risk of CHD n=80,082 Total fat intake as % of total calories (quintiles) NEJM, Nov. 20, Saturated Fat as % of Calories Relative Risk of CHD n=80,082 Saturated fat intake as % of calories (quintiles) Harvard Nutrition Source, Nurses Health Study Health Professional Study 43,757 men free of disease at start Saturated fat intake and risk of death from heart disease in six years of follow-up Those eating the most saturated fat had a 72% increased risk of heart disease. British Med. Journal; 13:84-90 Saturated Fat Intake Quintiles (% of calories) Men Relative Risk Sat. Fat Intake & Mortality from CAD Polyunsaturated Fat (% calories) Relative Risk of CHD n=80,082 Women Polyunsaturated fat intake as % of cal. (quintiles) Harvards Nutrition Source, Nurses health Study Trans Fatty Acids (% calories) Relative Risk of CHD n=80,082 women Trans fatty acid intake as % of calories (quintiles) Harvards Nutrition Source, Nurses Health Study Trans Fatty Acids and CAD Relative risk CHD n=667 men Trans Fat (tertiles) The Lancet, Vol. 357:746-51 A study compared the highest and lowest intake of saturated fat. Women who ate the least saturated fat had 17-19% less breast cancer. Women who ate large amounts of meat had a 17% increase in breast cancer. Researchers conclusion: A high consumption of animal fat increases risk for breast cancer. Saturated Fat and Breast Cancer British Journal of Cancer 89: Breast Cancer (RR) n=600,000 Saturated Fat Intake (Tertiles) Goal #1 Eat less Saturated Fat The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) recommends: Total fat, less than 35% of calories Saturated fat, less than 7% of calories; less than 5% for optimum reduction of cholesterol NIH, National Cholesterol Education Program 21 Sources of Saturated Fat in the Diet Pizza Hamburgers Hot dogs Cheese (No. 1 source of SF in American diet) Cream, butter Fried chicken Whole milk Beef tacos Steak Fast foods Baked goods Snack foods Convenience foods with added fats Shortening Fat back Lard Beef Intake and Heart Disease Relative Risk of Fatal Heart Attack Men n=26,473 Frequency of Beef Consumption Arch Intern Med Vol 152 P.1416 Moderate atherosclerosis What Cholesterol Does to an Artery There are usually no signs of disease until an artery is 90-95% plugged Chicago Heart Assoc. Study, 11,017 men, 25 years follow-up Risk of death from heart disease in young men is 3.5 times higher if cholesterol is 240+ vs. < 200 Persons lived up to 6 to 9 years longer with chol. levels of