Sounds provocative, right? But yes, a high carb more than a high fat diet contributes to a “bad” lipid profile result more often than not. You are surprised, I am sure. You were probably told to go on a low fat diet. And it did not work. You come back to the doctor’s office and your lipid profile is still bad but maybe somewhat better. You cut out the red meats, the butter, and you started eating low fat yogurt, low fat “heart healthy” granola bars and bread. You are about to give up and are disappointed that the changes you made did not help you avoid medications. Your doctor prescribes a statin, all is well in the world. But is it really?
Let’s break down the issues one by one:
Mistake #1: Opting for “low fat” products.
Most products labeled as “low fat” are not healthy. In fact most packaged foods that have to advertise themselves as “heart healthy” are likely not good for your heart down the line.
There are in fact actual heart healthy foods than are not low fat; those include nuts and seeds, real organic greek yogurt (or kefir for that matter), fatty fish like salmon and most mono- and polyunsaturated vegetable oils, like avocado oil or olive oil. They are heart healthy because they are rich in omega-3 and omega-6 as well as antioxidants, and help raise your HDL, the “good” cholesterol.
On the contrary, most “low fat” “health” foods tend to have more added sugar and may contain sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup in order to compensate for the loss in flavor. Now let me explain how this is not “heart healthy”, and this brings me to my next point.
Mistake #2: Not cutting out the carbs and sugars.
Yes, you heard me. It is not the fat. Or let me correct myself it is not all fats. Cutting out the healthy fats that raise HDL has a deleterious and counterproductive effect as we discussed above. However, cutting out the red meat and butter and other saturated fat sources is not enough. I cannot stress this enough. Some people may cut out the fried foods because of course they are fried in oil and especially fried oil is very inflammatory as it gets oxidized, and that causes a degree of inflammation when ingested. And oil is fat, so counterintuitively fried foods are bad for your cholesterol control.
However, you will need to cut back on the simple carbs and sugars. Many people consume more carbs than their daily energy requirement needs allow them to. Many people also drink sugary drinks like “pop” or they chug a whole glass of orange juice along with their morning cereal (mostly sugar and carbs) and milk (yes, also has carbs) and may even have a low fat yogurt (high in sugar) as a snack with lunch or dinner. Many people also eat more bread, pasta or rice than their metabolism can handle. And they do not eat enough protein or fiber to counterbalance all of the above.
Let us now talk about how that will raise their LDL and triglycerides. We discussed in the previous article how the influx of triglycerides in the body gets converted to VLDL, then to LDL, and then if your body has the capacity to do so, to HDL (more on that later). Triglycerides are basically fat molecules that are basically found in fatty foods but they can also be created in your own body if there is an excess of carbs. Therefore, an excess of carbs that the body can’t process and metabolize immediately (for various reasons such as insulin resistance, “slow”metabolism, not enough exercise and activity) will most surely be converted to triglycerides for the body to store “for later” when it actually needs it (this actually contributes to weight gain, more inflammation and insulin resistance).
On that note, let us be reminded this is a normal bodily mechanism. We are designed to store “energy” in the form of “fat” for the “difficult times to come” (eg winter; fruits ripen in the end of summer or fall for all living beings to eat and so they then can proceed to “hibernation mode” in the nutritiously and caloric poor winter environment).
Well, guess what: most people in the developed world will not reach those “difficult times to come”. So we are creating more and more inflammation due to fat deposition in various organs of the body by consuming excess carbs. In fact, when fat gets stored in your liver it causes a special type of inflammation that we medical professionals like to describe as “fatty liver disease” (almost 1/4 of Americans suffer from this). A fatty liver impairs our bodies ability to produce healthy HDL molecules, which we need to clear all the excess fat (VLDL, LDL) accumulated in our circulation. In fact, when LDL and VLDL sit in our small arteries for too long they tend to get oxidized and the oxidative reaction is what causes the “atherosclerosis” (blockage of arteries) and thus cardiovascular disease. Healthy fats as we discussed increase HDL production by the liver and provide us with antioxidants needed to counteract inflammation and daily oxidative stress.
What Next?
Don’t get me wrong, not all fats found in foods are equal. It is true red meat and dairy products such as butter and heavy cream ,that have higher saturated fat content, are generally going to raise the LDL and they should be consumed in smaller amounts or even not at all depending on individual cases (prior history of heart attack).
So next time you order a burger and fries and you want to indulge, it is actually preferable to have the burger and not the fries (or have very few of them). Treating yourself once in a blue moon with red meat would not have a very big impact in your overall health. Remember the famous Greek quote “Pan metron ariston” which translates to “Everything in moderation”. It is the things we do on a daily basis that impact what your next blood results will show.
Image source: Shutterstock.com, Photo Contributor: veryulissa