(Continued from last week)
In the current focus on the dangers of cholesterol related to fats in the diet, the authors of Stopping the Clock said it’s important to remember that your body needs a certain amount of some kinds of fat. Natural fats provide a concentrated form of energy and create the environment in which fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A and vitamin E, can be digested. Fats also provide the essential fatty acids that your body needs to maintain its cellular structure.
Fats come in two forms: Saturated (from dairy, meat and fish products) and unsaturated (from vegetable and fish oils). The authors enumerated the following sources of fat that can be useful to your body:
Cod liver oil—This form of fat contains essential fatty acids that convert into chemicals that protect your heart.
Evening primrose oil—Available in health food stores, this substance also contains essential fatty acids, including gamma-linolenic, which lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, heals eczema, eases hangovers and premenstrual tension, and helps to control weight.
Olive oil—This is probably the most beneficial form of fat to use for cooking, as olive oil lowers LDL cholesterol without affecting HDL cholesterol. It is known as a monounsaturated fat. The best olive oil is extra-virgin and hand-pressed, as hydraulic presses may generate heat that, in turn, damages the oil.
Polyunsaturated fats, such as sunflower seed oil and sesame seed oil—Like their cousin, the monounsaturated olive oil, both these fats lower LDL cholesterol, but they also lower HDL cholesterol. They are also more susceptible to turning rancid than olive oil—a process known as autoxidation, which, as the name suggests, introduces those free radicals that antioxidants must then combat.
The authors said: “Olive oil especially has been shown to have numerous health benefits. A study published in the British Medical Journal found that the traditional Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil and moderate amounts of wine, may have significant long-life benefits. The six-year study of 182 rural Greek men and women over age 70 found that those who consumed a diet, including olive oil, whole-grain breads, and fresh fruits and vegetables significantly reduced their chances of dying during the study, compared to those who ate diets rich in red meats and saturated fats.
The study broke down the Mediterranean diet into these components:
- A high ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fats.
- Moderate alcohol consumption.
- High consumption of cereals, fruits and vegetables.
- Low intake of meats and dairy products.
Dr. Ronald Klatz and Dr. Robert Goldman said several types of commonly used fat are relatively dangerous to your system and should be avoided. These include:
Hydrogenated fats, such as margarine and shortening—These are fats created through the process of hydrogenation, which converts a liquid (unsaturated) fat to a solid (saturated) fat by exposing the fat molecules to hydrogen. Hydrogenated fats interfere with your body’s production of prostaglandin, a substance that helps create a resistance to pain and helps produce healthy cells and tissues. Hydrogenated fats also tend to deposit fats in your arteries, interfering with the circulation of your blood.
Highly heated or reheated fats—Unless you are buying cold-pressed oils (available in health food stores and gourmet stores), you are buying fat that has already been heated, which oxidizes it and increases the oil’s ability to oxidize in your body. Fats heated to more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit are more likely to be highly oxidized.
The authors said observations of the diet and lifestyle of Greenland Eskimos show that a high-fat diet composed of Arctic foodstuff and low in cholesterol results in a population with very low incidence of heart disease; very low incidence of hypertension; and very low platelet aggregability. The reason? Fish oil. “Actually, it’s because of eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, which is found in high concentrations in fish and marine life. Unlike the damaging prostaglandins found in animals (like thromboxane, which constricts arteries), when we consume EPA we experience less vasoconstriction in arteries and less platelet aggregation. Therefore, we reduce chances of blood clots, atherosclerosis, stroke and heart attack. Consuming fish oil can also help lower serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels,” the authors explained.
However, a word to the weight conscious: The authors said fish oil is not calorie-free. If you want to start taking fish oil daily, you might want to reduce your daily food consumption by about 300 calories, or else you’d be putting on about 25 extra pounds per year.
The cholesterol issue
Cholesterol remains a somewhat mysterious term to many people. We’ve all heard about the dangers of this bodily substance: Its relationship with heart disease and other cardiovascular disorders, its dangers to the immune system, and its possible correlation with certain types of cancer. What many people do not know, according to the authors, is that more than 90 percent of blood cholesterol is actually manufactured by our own body. Reducing dietary cholesterol will therefore have relatively little effect on blood cholesterol levels.
The authors said: “This is not to say that your blood cholesterol levels are outside of your control. On the contrary, many factors tend to increase your cholesterol level—smoking, high blood pressure, liver problems (exacerbated by a diet high in toxic additives and preservatives), inadequate exercise, carrying too much body fat, stress and depression.” Because consuming too much fat tends to aggravate these other factors, it will indirectly raise your cholesterol level.
On the other hand, the authors said you have many options for reducing your cholesterol level: substituting vegetable for animal protein (vegetable proteins contain sterols, which block your blood’s ability to absorb cholesterol from your intestines and may also help the liver better regulate cholesterol production); eating more fiber (fiber blots up excess fat); making sure you get essential fatty acids that will regulate your blood fat; and exercising regularly.
The authors said a high-fiber diet can be an effective antiaging tool because fiber helps improve your digestion, relieving the strain on your liver and gallbladder, and reducing the risk of colon cancer, gallstones, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, colitis, hemorrhoids, hernia and varicose veins. Fiber, they explained, is the structural material that gives plant cell walls their integrity. Hence, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes are all good sources of fiber. Pectin is a type of fiber found in apple peel and carrots. It is known to lower cholesterol, and acts as an antitoxin. Mucilage, found in legumes and seeds, also lowers cholesterol, as well as speed up the process of food through the digestive system. Lignin, found in wheat bran and apples, helps bind the heavy metal trace elements in our food, preventing their oxidizing effects, as well as producing other antitoxic effects.
The authors, however, said that “if you’re depending on bran as your major source of fiber, be aware that it can leach calcium, magnesium and zinc from your system. As with most nutritional elements, it’s a good idea to get fiber from many sources, and to avoid megadoses of any one type of food.”
(Next week—Mind over Matter: Anti-stress tips for antiaging)