Until recently, dietary guidelines recommended that we avoid eating foods high in fat and cholesterol, such as butter, egg yolks and full-fat dairy products.
These foods are often replaced with low-fat substitutes such as margarine, egg whites, and fat-free dairy products, with the goal of improving health and weight loss.
“This is due to the misconception that eating foods rich in cholesterol and fat can increase body weight as well as the risk of various diseases.
Studies have today disproved this belief, although myths surrounding cholesterol and fat continue to dominate many articles and very low-fat diets are quite popular with the general public,” says Karolos Papalazarou Clinical Dietitian – Nutritionist , Fellow at Metropolitan Hospital, who then addresses the related myths regarding “bad” fats:
But which are the most important of these myths?
1. Eating fat leads to weight gain
While it is true that eating too much of any macronutrient, including fat, leads to weight gain, eating high-fat foods as part of a healthy, balanced diet does not lead to weight gain.
Conversely, eating high-fat foods can under certain conditions contribute to weight loss and feeling full when following a low-calorie diet.
That’s why eating patterns that are very high in fat, including ketogenic diets, have been shown to promote weight loss.
Of course, the quality of fatty foods matters.
Eating highly processed foods that are high in fat, such as fast food, sugary pastries and fried foods, can increase your risk of weight gain.
2. Foods rich in cholesterol are unhealthy
Many people believe that cholesterol-rich foods, such as whole eggs and full-fat dairy, are unhealthy. However, this is not the case. In fact, many high-cholesterol foods are nutrient-dense.
For example, egg yolks, which are high in cholesterol, are also full of important vitamins and minerals, including B12, choline, and selenium, while high-cholesterol full-fat yogurt is rich in protein and calcium.
Additionally, research has time and time once more shown that eating healthy cholesterol-rich foods such as eggs, fatty seafood, and whole milk products are beneficial to health.
3. Saturated fat causes heart disease
While this topic is still hotly debated among health professionals, recent research has shown no consistent link between saturated fat intake and heart disease.
It is true that saturated fat increases known risk factors for heart disease, such as LDL (bad) cholesterol and apolipoprotein B. However, saturated fat intake tends to increase the amount of large LDL particles but decrease the amount of smaller, denser LDL particles linked to heart disease.
Additionally, research has shown that certain types of saturated fat may increase heart-protective HDL cholesterol.
In fact, many large studies have found no consistent association between saturated fat intake and heart disease, heart attack, or heart disease-related death.
4. Foods rich in fat and cholesterol should be avoided during pregnancy
Pregnant women are often advised to avoid foods high in fat and cholesterol during pregnancy. While many women believe that a low-fat diet is a better choice for their health and that of their baby, eating fat is necessary.
In fact, the need for fat-soluble nutrients, including vitamin A and choline, as well as omega-3 fats, increases during pregnancy. In addition, the fetal brain, which is composed mostly of fat, needs dietary fat to develop properly.
DHA, a type of fatty acid found in oily fish, plays a critical role in fetal brain and vision development, while low DHA levels in the mother’s blood can lead to impaired neurodevelopment in the fetus.
Some other high-fat foods are also very important as they provide nutrients vital to maternal and fetal health that are difficult to find in other foods.
Such foods are egg yolks, which are particularly rich in choline – a vital nutrient for the development of the brain and vision of the fetus – but also full-fat dairy products, which are an excellent source of calcium and vitamin K2, elements necessary for the skeletal development of the fetus.
5. Fat consumption increases the risk of developing Diabetes Mellitus
Many dietary patterns recommended for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes are low in fat. This is due to the misconception that eating fat can increase the risk of diabetes.
While some evidence suggests that a higher intake of saturated fat may increase the risk of diabetes, more recent studies have found no significant association.
For example, a 2019 study of 2,139 people found no association between consumption of animal and vegetable fat or total fat and risk of type 2 diabetes.
6. Margarine and oils rich in omega-6 are a healthier choice
Margarine and some vegetable oils, such as canola oil and soybean oil, are high in omega-6 fats. Although both omega-6 and omega-3 fats are essential for health, modern diets tend to be very high in omega-6 fats and very low in omega-3s.
This imbalance between omega-6 and omega-3 fat intake has been linked to increased inflammation that negatively affects our health levels. Specifically, a higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratio has been associated with mood disorders, obesity, insulin resistance, increased heart disease risk factors, and mental decline.
Studies show that canola oil intake may be associated with an increased inflammatory response, metabolic syndrome, and by extension, risk of heart disease.
7. Everyone responds to dietary cholesterol in the same way
Although some genetic and metabolic factors may justify choosing a diet lower in saturated fat and cholesterol, for the majority of the population, saturated fat and cholesterol-rich foods can be included as part of a healthy diet.
About two-thirds of the population have minimal sensitivity to even large amounts of dietary cholesterol intake. This practically means that they can consume foods with high cholesterol without affecting the concentration of cholesterol in their blood, as their body initiates the necessary processes to eliminate the excess cholesterol.
On the other hand, a small percentage of the population is more sensitive to dietary cholesterol and experiences greater increases in blood cholesterol following eating cholesterol-rich foods. But even in them it seems that the ratio of LDL to HDL is maintained in most cases and thus the risk of developing heart disease is negligible.
A smaller population group is people with familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic disorder that can increase the risk of heart disease. These individuals have a significantly reduced ability to remove excess cholesterol from their bodies and for this reason it is necessary to follow a diet with low cholesterol intake usually combined with medication.
All this shows that the response to dietary cholesterol varies from person to person as it can be influenced by many factors and especially genetics.
8. Fat-free products are a smart choice
In recent years, supermarket shelves have been filled with an abundance of fat-free products, such as sauces, ice creams, milk, cookies, cheeses, etc. While low-fat foods may seem like a smart choice, these foods are usually quite unhealthy as in unlike natural fat-free foods (fruits, vegetables), processed fat-free foods contain ingredients that can negatively affect body weight, metabolic health, and more.
Despite having fewer calories than their full-fat counterparts, fat-free foods typically contain far more added sugars, the consumption of which is associated with the onset of heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Additionally, according to newsit, eating foods high in added sugars can negatively affect certain hormones in your body, including leptin and insulin, leading to increased appetite and more calories consumed at the end of the day, which it will eventually lead to weight gain. In addition, many fat-free products contain significantly more preservatives and additives than their full-fat counterparts.
So the best way to reduce the calories one consumes each day is to enjoy foods full of fat in smaller amounts and not to replace them with highly processed foods.
“In conclusion, focusing on individual macronutrients, such as fat, and not on the diet as a whole, is the wrong tactic as everything shows that a balanced diet plan is the key to disease prevention and health promotion,” concludes Mr Papalazarou. .
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