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THE SCIENCE OF OBESITY: FATS & CHOLESTEROL

For years we heard that a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet would
keep us healthy and help us lose weight. And many of us jumped
on the bandwagon, eliminating fat and high-cholesterol foods
from our diets. Well, unfortunately, we were doing it all wrong.

Instead of eliminating fat completely, we should have been
eliminating the “bad fats,” the fats associated with obesity and
heart disease and eating the “good fats,” the fats that actually
help improve blood cholesterol levels. Before we examine the
good fats and bad fats, let’s talk about cholesterol.

Cholesterol – It’s been ingrained into our brains that
cholesterol causes heart disease and that we should limit our
intake of foods that contain it, but dietary cholesterol is
different than blood cholesterol. Cholesterol comes from two
places—first, from food such as meat, eggs, and seafood, and
second, from our body. Our liver makes this waxy substance and
links it to carrier proteins called lipoproteins. These
lipoproteins dissolve the cholesterol in blood and carry it to
all parts of your body. Our body needs cholesterol to help form
cell membranes, some hormones, and Vitamin D.

You may have heard of “good” and “bad” cholesterol. Well,
high-density lipoproteins (HDL) carry cholesterol from the blood
to the liver. The liver processes the cholesterol for
elimination from the body. If there’s HDL in the blood, then
less cholesterol will be deposited in the coronary arteries.
That’s why it’s called “good” cholesterol. Low-density
lipoproteins (LDL), carry cholesterol from the liver to the rest
of the body. When there is too much in the body, it is deposited
in the coronary arteries. This is not good. A build-up of
cholesterol in our arteries could prevent blood from getting to
parts of our heart. That means that our heart won’t get the
oxygen and nutrients it needs, which could result in heart
attack, stroke, or sudden death. So, if your LDL is higher than
your HDL, you’re at a greater risk for developing heart disease.
It may come as a surprise, but recent studies have shown that
the amount of cholesterol in our food is not strongly linked to
our blood cholesterol levels. It’s the types of fats you eat
that affect your blood cholesterol levels.

Bad Fats – There are two fats that you should limit your intake
of—saturated and trans fats.

Saturated Fats – Saturated fats are mostly animal fats. You
find them in meat, whole-milk products, poultry skin, and egg
yolks. Coconut oil also has a high amount of saturated fat.
Saturated fats raise both the good and bad blood cholesterol.

Trans Fats – Trans fats are produced through
hydrogenation—heating oils in the presence of oxygen. Many
products contain trans fats because the fats help them maintain
a longer shelf life. Margarine also contains a high amount of
trans fats. Trans fats are especially dangerous because they
lower the good cholesterol, HDL and raise the bad cholesterol,
LDL. Unfortunately, most products do not tell you how much trans
fat it contains, but you can find out if it’s in a product by
looking at the ingredient list. If the ingredients contain
hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated oils, then it contains
trans fats. Fortunately in 2006, manufacturers will be required
to list the amount of trans fat in their products on the
nutrition labels, so it will be easier for you to find.

Good Fats – Some fats actually improve cholesterol levels.

Polyunsaturated Fats – Polyunsaturated fats are found in
sunflower, corn, and soybean oils. These oils contain Omega-6,
an essential fatty acid. However, most people get enough Omega-6
in their diet and instead need more Omega-3. Omega-3 is a fatty
acid found in fish and walnuts.

Monounsaturated Fats – Monounsaturated fats are found in
canola, peanut, and olive oils. Both types of unsaturated fats
decrease the bad cholesterol, LDL and increase the good
cholesterol, HDL.

Now, just because the unsaturated fats improve your blood
cholesterol levels, you don’t have the go-ahead to eat all of
the olive oil, butter and nuts you want. Fat of any kind does
contain calories, and if you’re trying to lose weight, eat fat
in moderation, and stay away from saturated fats.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR WEIGHT

A pound of fat represents approximately 3500 calories of stored
energy. In order to lose a pound of fat, you have to use 3500
more calories than you consume. Although this seems like a
simple formula remember that your body is a thinking organism
designed to protect itself. If you were to try to reduce your
intake by the entire 3500 calories in one day, your body would
register some type of alarm and think that there is a state of
emergency. Immediately your metabolism would slow down and no
weight loss would be achieved. It’s better to spread your weight
loss out over a period of a week, so that you aim to reduce your
caloric intake by 3500 to 7000 calories per week, resulting in
weight loss of one to two pounds per week. It’s generally not
recommended to try to lose more than two pounds in a week.
Attempting to do so may cause health risks, and on top of this
you’re unlikely to be successful.

In the example of attempting to lose two pounds per week, you
can use a basic method of calorie counting to help you
accomplish your goal. To do so, you need to figure out how many
calories a person of your age, sex, and weight usually needs in
a day, subtract 500 from that amount, and follow a diet that
provides you with that many calories. For example, if you would
ordinarily need 3000 calories in a day, you would follow a
2500-calorie a day diet. Next, figure out how much exercise a
person of your weight would need to do to burn 500 calories per
day, and engage in an exercise plan that will help you achieve
your goal. The result is simple: 500 fewer calories consumed and
500 more calories expended equals a 1000 calorie per day
deficit, which, over the course of a week adds up to 7000
calories, or two pounds. Although individual results may vary,
the bottom line is if your body is consuming fewer calories than
it’s expending, then weight will be lost.

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