Low carbohydrate diets like the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet and others are popular and widely promoted these days. In general, most of the low-carb diets forbid foods like pasta, bread, fruit and foods with refined sugar. Instead, they require the dieter to eat large amounts of food that is high in protein and fat, including red meat, fish, poultry, eggs and cheese. This is contrary to the accepted wisdom about heart healthy eating.
While some people lose weight on low-carb diets, the overall and long-term health effects of these diets are not known. On the other hand, decades of research has concluded that diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol lead to coronary disease, noted Ivan Pacold, M.D., director of preventive cardiology at Loyola University Health System (Loyola), who specializes in cholesterol and other lipid disorders.
The American Heart Association recommends a balanced diet that is restricted in saturated fat and cholesterol. The U.S. Department of Agriculture´s (USDA) food pyramid – the government´s guideline for healthy eating since 1992 – recommends that people should get the bulk of their daily calories from carbohydrates and the fewest daily calories from fats, oils and sweets.
The USDA is in the process of revising its food pyramid, and Pacold believes the new recommendations will differentiate between good and bad fat. There is no evidence that increasing one´s intake of saturated fat (which comes from animal products like meat and dairy) leads to better health.
However, “we now know that there is some value in increasing unsaturated fat in the diet – fat that comes from plant sources,’ Pacold said. “It appears that the Mediterranean diet is the healthiest type.’ In this diet, most of the daily calories come from whole grain breads and pasta, fruits, legumes, nuts, vegetable oil and dairy products. Fish and poultry are eaten only a few times a week, and even less frequently, eggs and red meat – the biggest culprits in raising harmful cholesterol.
Cholesterol is a soft, waxy substance that is essential to several bodily functions, such as making new cells, hormones and bile salts. It is manufactured in the liver, but it also can be absorbed directly from cholesterol-rich foods, such as red meat, eggs, whole milk and cheese. In addition, foods that contain trans-fatty acids or have the words “partially hydrogenated’ on the label, such as crackers, cookies and margarine, raise blood cholesterol levels.
“It has been proven that high levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream increase a person´s risk of atherosclerosis,’ Pacold said. Atherosclerosis is responsible for more deaths in the United States than any other single condition. It is a disease of the arteries in which cholesterol and other substances form plaques inside the blood vessels. The vessels get narrower so that the blood cannot flow as easily, which leads to a heart attack, stroke or other serious illnesses involving major
arteries in the kidneys, the legs and intestines.
Unfortunately, there is no early warning sign that plaques are forming and there is no easy way to remove plaques once they have formed. Symptoms such as chest pains, pain in the legs and stroke symptoms show up after the damage to the arteries has become severe. At that point, these conditions must be managed with medications or surgery as necessary.
Pacold recommends that adults have their cholesterol level evaluated at least every five years. People who cannot control their cholesterol by diet alone, may be candidates for one of the cholesterol lowering medications. While cholesterol level in the blood is directly linked to heart disease, it is not the only risk factor. Other major risk factors include cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, lack of exercise and a family history of heart disease.
To make an appointment with Pacold or another heart specialist at Loyola, please call (708) 216-8563.
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