A high fat diet consists of a diet that is rich in fats,
especially saturated fats, and typically one that provides more than 30% of
energy as fat. Saturated fats are those that are found in animal products, for
example cheese. Trans fats are oils that have been hydrogenated (caused to
combine with hydrogen) to turn them into semi-hard fats and are typically found
in many fast foods, junk foods, cakes and cookies. A diet that is both high in
saturated fats and trans fats leads to higher levels of cholesterol in the
blood.
Various researches have proven that high levels of
cholesterol and abnormal blood lipid levels may increase the risk of a heart
attack, coronary heart disease or other major cardiovascular events. This is because
coronary heart disease and other cardiac conditions are caused by the build-up
of plaque inside the coronary arteries. Coronary arteries are arteries that
transport oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscles. This build-up occurs over
many years in which the plaque can harden to narrow the coronary arteries or
rupture (break open) to form a blood clot that can partially or fully block
blood flow. If the flow of oxygenated blood to the heart muscles is reduced or
blocked, there is no oxygen being supplied to the muscles in that section of
the heart, which are aerobically respiring and consequently the toxicity of the
lactic acid that has been built up from anaerobic respiration can cause the
cells to die. As a result, an angina (chest pain or discomfort) or a heart
attack may occur. Coronary heart disease itself can weaken the heart muscle and
lead to heart failure (a condition in which the heart cannot pump enough blood
to meet the body’s needs) or problems with the rate of rhythm of the heartbeat.
Certain studies conducted advise that the saturated fat
intake should not exceed 10% of the total energy. If the total fat intake were
to be greater than 37% of the total calorie intake then, even if that fat was
unsaturated (fats that are beneficial), there is an increased risk of
developing a cardiovascular disease. One study comparing a diet low in saturated fats, with plenty of fresh fruit and
vegetables, and a typical diet of someone living in the developed world, showed
that the former style of diet experienced a 73% reduction in the risk of new
major cardiac events.
Bibliography
"Diet."
Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors -. World Heart Federation, 2016.
Web. 28 Aug. 2016.
"What Is
Coronary Heart Disease?" NHLBI, NIH. NIH, 22 June 2016. Web. 28
Aug. 2016.
"high-fat
diet." Dictionary of Sport and Exercise Science and Medicine by
Churchill Livingstone. 2008. Elsevier Limited 28 Aug. 2016
WWW - The use of statistics (amount of percentage of fat), good link between the research and the question.
ReplyDeleteEBI - Mentioning the 'good fats' rather than only explaining the saturated and trans fats, which allows to examine whether fats are only a bad thing or not.
Q - What are the compositions of plaque?
Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium or other substances found in the blood. It is a waxy substance that, over time, hardens and narrows the artery.
DeleteWWW: The article is well structured, full of all the necessary information
ReplyDeleteEBI: Could have some pictures attached to help readers understand how build-up of plaque occurs
Question: Why is unsaturated fat beneficial? How is it different to the saturated fat?
WWW: The process of blood clot was well explained with all the necessary information.
ReplyDeleteEBI: If the sentences were well structured, which means, some sentences were a bit long to understand and if it was broken down, the adaptability would have increased.
Q- What are the examples of other cardiac conditions caused by the plaque inside the coronary arteries?