Primarily found in animal proteins and some vegetable sources,
saturated fats can be a powerfully damaging food, more so from
some sources than others. However, given the fact that human
breast milk contains saturated fat, I do not think that all
saturated fat sources have negative effects on the body.
Saturated fat is a very concentrated source of fuel, and
different types of saturated fat, coming from animal sources
especially, have been linked definitively to very high levels of
inflammation and disease, especially when we overexpose our
bodies more than once in a 24-hour period.
High amounts of saturated fat can cause a rapid increase in the
inflammatory process soon after it's eaten. Beginning in the
mouth and moving all the way through the digestive tract, this
inflammation can end up in the smallest systems of the human
cell.
Sources of highly-concentrated saturated fat include:
• cream and all milk except skimmed
• cheese
• lard
• butter, regular ice cream (made from cow milk fat)
• meats (beef, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb)
• processed meats
• coconut oil
• cottonseed oil
• palm seed oil (not the palm fruit)
• chicken fat
• ghee (used in Indian food)
Cholesterol
A related type of lipid, or fat, in our diet is cholesterol,
which is found in many foods that also contain fats. We need
cholesterol but should avoid excessiveamounts of it. Cholesterol
occurs naturally in the body and is also absorbed from food. An
average body produces around 800–1000 mg of cholesterol and
takes in an additional 200–300 mg from food. We need this
cholesterol to create and maintain cell membranes, break down
fats, and absorb vitamins (especially Vitamin D).
Cholesterol also plays a role in the production of bile and of
hormones such as cortisol, aldosterone, progesterone, estrogen,
and testosterone. In the brain, cholesterol assists in the
maintenance of nerve synapses. Cholesterol also plays an
important role in our immune system.
Sources of highly-concentrated cholesterol include:
• eggs
• dairy products
• animal meats, both lean and fat
• organ meats
• lard
The Ugly: Trans Fats
The trans fats in the standard American diet are especially
damaging. These mostly man-made fats actually begin as an
unsaturated fat, usually a vegetable oil, which is mixed with
hydrogen gas and platinum catalysts, then heated to temperatures
in excess of 500° F to make it more solid and to give it a
longer shelf life. This recipe results in changing the molecular
makeup of healthy fatty acids into disfigured, twisted
molecules—trans fat—often listed on food labels as hydrogenated
fats or oils. Serve them hot or cold, and your body will deliver
this toxic, inflammatory mixture to every cell in your body,
including your brain cells. Chronic exposure to man-made trans
fat found in thousands of processed foods from salad dressings
to snacks, margarines to cake mixes can be very toxic to
everyone, but extremely toxic to Apo E 4s. It is very difficult
for the body to get rid of these types of molecules once they
are incorporated in its cellular structure, and this can cause
severe chronic disease states.
One of the reasons we have so much trans fat in our diet is due
to a very powerful consumer interest group that campaigned to
remove saturated fat and palm seed oil from our food. The drive
in the early 1980s to remove saturated fats led to the food
processors using something even worse—trans fat, but in the
early 1990s we began to realize the damage it causes. In January
2006 we saw even more subversive uses of trans fat via
legislation with a labeling loophole allowing foods less than
0.5 mg per serving of fat to be labeled nonfat. This means that
you can still get a dose of trans fat in your "0" trans
fat-labeled food. Best read the label and the ingredients!
While trans fat has been produced and used in food for more
than 100 years, we still have much to learn about its effects on
the development of cell membranes, brain cells, arterial
inflammatory plaque development, and growing fetal brain tissue.
We do know that our body manufactures cell membranes from the
fats we eat, so if our diet is high in inflammatory fats, we are
creating defective cell membranes, hormones, and brain cells.
Could this be why we have so much brain pathology, with severe
neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson
disease? We do not yet have conclusive evidence, but logic tells
us this could be a cause. Once again, we need to take
precautions by removing these fats from our diet. Remember that
no evidence of harm is not equal to evidence of no harm.
The food processing industry is very powerful. As long as using
trans fat saves money, increases food shelf life, and provides
more flavor, they will continue to use the hydrogen process,
unless forced to stop.
As a medical practitioner on the front lines, I say let logic
prevail! We all need to learn more about food so we can make
better food choices. Education is our best weapon. Toward the
end of your life, it will be your long-term food choices that
determine whether you will be playing with backpacks or bedpans.
As a consumer, you can change the way the food industry
produces the foods you purchase. The choice is simple — don't
buy foods with inflammatory trans fats in them. As Marion
Nestle, PhD, mph, author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry
Influences Nutrition and Health and What to Eat, says, "Vote
with Your Fork." I agree with Marion, because behind your fork
is green power — money!
Important sources of trans fat to avoid include:
• stick margarine
• deep-fried fast food
• commercial cookies
• crackers
• commercial dessert pastries such as pies and cakes
• sports drinks (a popular brand added a "Z factor," which
turned out to be trans fat)
About The Author: Pamela McDonald is a leading Integrative
Medicine Nurse Practitioner, who specializes in the prevention
of heart and Alzheimer's disease, and chronic illness. To learn
more about her groundbreaking book, and program - visit
http://www.apoegenediet.com. To subscribe to her free APO E Gene
Diet Health Notes - send a blank email to Info@...
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