Discuss the link between coronary heart disease and a high fat diet.

Coronary heart disease, otherwise known as CHD, is the narrowing of coronary arteries due to the buildup of plaque inside the vessels. Plaque, a waxy substance that consists of cholesterol, fats, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin, acts as a key factor in the progression of CHD into stroke or heart attack. Its accumulation within the blood vessels, referred to as atherosclerosis, increases the risk of either a piece of plaque breaking off or the formation of a rupture leading to the detachment of thrombus, causing either a partial or total blockage of the coronary artery. Consuming a high fat diet is one of the major causes of CHD, and this article will explore the links between the excess consumptions of trans fats, saturated fats, and cholesterol, and the risk of coronary heart disease.
Trans fat is a type of
unsaturated fat where, unlike cis-unsaturated fat, two hydrogen atoms are on
opposite sides of the double bond. Studies have shown that there is a positive
correlation between the amounts of trans fat consumption and the risk of CHD.
Consumption of trans fats increases the level of LDL (Low-density lipoproteins)
in the body, which acts to carry cholesterol from the liver to the rest of the
body. An excess amount of LDL ("bad") cholesterol in the blood may
lead to the formation of plaque deposits in the walls of the coronary arteries,
which in turn induces atherosclerosis.
Saturated fat is a type
of fatty acid in which all of the carbon atoms in the chain are bonded by
single covalent bonds. It is also widely conceived that the intake of saturated
fat increases the level of LDL cholesterol in the body, thereby inducing
atherosclerosis, and eventually coronary heart disease, as in the case of trans
fats. However, recent studies have shown that there are examples that may not
fit with this correlation, as in the case of the Maasai. The Maasai have a diet
rich in meat and fat, leading to the consumption of large amounts of saturated
fats. However, coronary heart disease is extremely rare amongst the Maasai
despite this regular intake of saturated fats, this revelation serving to
disprove the theory that the increased intake of saturated fats is directly
related to the increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Another myth to be
discredited is the one considering the intake of cholesterol, where the
increased consumption of dietary cholesterol is believed to lead to increased
risk of coronary heart disease. The lack of credibility of this view stems from
the fact that only cholesterol in LDL is implicated in coronary heart disease,
as well as various studies that show that the reducing dietary cholesterol has little
effect on blood cholesterol levels, and therefore also on the risk of CHD.








