We love fat so much that we eat the equivalent of 1 ½ cups of butter every week! Yes, that’s correct. Walk over to your refrigerator and pull out 6 sticks of butter; imagine them placed at different points in and out of your body. Pretty scary thought, isn’t it? Excess fat intake is directly attributable to:
·Elevated cholesterol
·Elevated triglycerides
·High blood pressure
·Diabetes
·Excess weight
Taking control of just this single area of your overall health will substantially reduce your chances of heart disease as well as reducing the risk of stroke. Stroke occurs when blood clots block arteries that supply blood to the brain.
In a recent study, French researchers examined 250 men and women age 60 to 70 and found that those who had fatty plaque narrowing the main artery out of the heart were 9 times more likely to have a stroke than those who did not have this buildup.
Cancer is another possible by-product of excess fat in the diet. In fact, dietary fat is credited with playing a role in as much as 40% of cancers in men and 60% of cancers in women. Red meat is considered to be one of the biggest culprits, increasing the instance of colon, rectal and prostate cancer in men. For women the potential dangers are colon and possibly breast cancer. Researchers are now beginning to believe it may play a role in lung cancer too.
So, knowing the possible dangers, why do we still eat it?
If the truth be told, many of us just haven’t gotten the word yet, especially those over the age of 60. Even though the information about fat has been around for a long time, many people believe that fat is a necessary part of diet. Yes, it is true that dietary fat exists for a reason. It does provide us with the fatty acids we need to control our body temperature, give us healthy skin, silkier hair and protects nerves and other vital organs. The problem is that not all fats are created equal and many of us just don’t understand the difference of good fat versus bad fat.
Additional information on this subject can be found in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans - offered free of charge through the US Government\'s Health Website - www.health.gov
