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The evidence for saturated fat and for sugar related to coronary heart disease
Although dietary guidelines recommend restricting amounts of saturated fats in general since they were found to raise levels of total cholesterol in the blood and thus postulated to increase risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), DiNicolantonio and his team (2016) reviewed the evidence linking saturated fats and also sugars to CHD, and explains how the latter is the bigger issue. Firstly, it is explained that saturated fats are a diverse class of compounds, with different fats possibly having varying effects on low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) and on CHD risk. It is dependent on the specific saturated fatty acids (SFAs), which signifies some food sources of SFAs may pose no risk for CHD or possibly be even protective. The authors emphasize that the advice to reduce saturated fats in the diet could actually increase people’s risk of CHD if the LDL, SFAs, or dietary sources are not considered also. Furthermore, the substitution of saturated fats with refined sugars and added sugars can result would not be favorable for heart health. The transition into a high sugar diet can alter LDL, HDL and triglyceride levels (possibly increasing risk of CHD), elevate levels of glucose, insulin, and uric acid, and impair glucose tolerance, insulin and leptin resistance, lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and alter platelet function. It was highlighted that a sugar-rich diet has been shown to cause a 3-fold increased risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. This paper explains that sugars are also a diverse class of compounds, indicating that monosaccharides, fructose, and fructose-containing sweeteners (e.g. sucrose) produce greater degrees of metabolic abnormalities and may present greater risk of CHD than glucose. DiNicolantonio et al. (2016) believed dietary guidelines should shift focus away from cutting down on saturated fats and consuming carbohydrates as replacements, and should guide the population to decrease their consumption of concentrated sugars (particularly the fructose-containing sugars like sucrose found in ultra-processed foods and beverages) in order to reduce the burden of chronic heart disease. [NPID: sugar, processed food, saturated fat, coronary heart disease, heart disease, LDL, HDL]
Year: 2016
