Managing Cholesterol: The Role of Saturated and Unsaturated Fats in Heart Health

04:45 PM

Saturday 03 June 2023

I wrote – Shaima Morsi
One of the major contributing factors to heart disease is high cholesterol, which is mainly caused by eating fatty foods.
Heart Association UK says: “Eating foods that contain a lot of saturated fat changes the way the liver deals with cholesterol.”
Our liver cells also have low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors on them, and when LDL cholesterol passes into the blood, these receptors carry it out of the blood into the liver to be broken down.
Research indicates that eating too much saturated fat stops the receptors from working properly and builds up cholesterol in the blood.”
Foods that are high in saturated fat, which you’d better limit, include:
Milk chocolate, white chocolate, cake and biscuits.
Pastries and pies.
Fatty meats like lamb chops
Processed meats such as hot dogs and burgers
Butter and margarine
Coconut and palm oil
Full-fat dairy products such as cream, milk, yogurt, fresh cream and cheese.
The UK Heart Institute added: “Many foods contain a mixture of saturated and unsaturated fats, so it’s best to choose foods with more unsaturated fats.”
Examples of unsaturated fats are:
Nuts and seeds, such as sunflower, rapeseed, olives, peanuts, walnuts, and corn oil.
avocado
Oily fish such as herring, mackerel, salmon and trout.
In addition to saturated fat, another type of fat that people need to beware of because it raises cholesterol and increases the risk of heart disease is “trans fat.”
Trans fats are also made when unsaturated fats such as vegetable oils are heated to high temperatures during food processing.
Trans fats are sometimes found in pastries, cakes, cookies, crackers, fried foods, fast food and solid margarines.
So it’s best to look for “partially hydrogenated fats” on the label because they contain trans fats and avoid them as much as possible.
By eating a healthy diet, as well as engaging in physical activity, you can reduce your risk of heart disease and heart attack.