Inflammation, sugar and fat: A fresh take
Fat as a scapegoat
Over the years, fat has taken a beating. It has become the dietary equivalent of a leper. Fat has been shunned, ridiculed and blamed for most of our dietary ills. But fats, including saturated fat, plays a significant role in our overall health. They transport and store fat-soluble vitamins, maintain hair and skin and provide protection for the cardiovascular system.In the case of saturated fat, a Harvard study concluded that greater saturated fat intake was associated with less progression of coronary atherosclerosis. Some fats also help raise HDL cholesterol levels, and saturated fat specifically helps to change LDL from pattern B "bad" cholesterol to pattern A "good" cholesterol. To be sure, no one would advocate a high-fat diet, and even though saturated fat is not the demon it has been made out to be, balance in consumption is important. Not too much and not too little.
Special note: Stay away from trans-fats. These fats are highly inflammatory, man-made monstrosities that will destroy good health. These fats can be found in highly processed foods and fast food.
Sugar is the true villain
It is interesting to note that fat consumption in this country has decreased steadily for the past 40 years, while the rate of obesity and heart disease has continued to climb during the same time period. Not coincidentally, the amount of sugar consumed, especially in the form of fructose, increased, with the average American consuming approximately 208 lbs. of sugar and high fructose corn syrup annually. This increases not just weight gain but also inflammation. Sugar, and the inflammation it produces, has been the common link to diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease in far greater proportions than fat has been. In 2003, the World Health Organization published a report highlighting that consuming no more than 10% of calories from added sugars could lower the risk of heart disease in addition to obesity and diabetes.Inflammation
Inflammation is a natural body process that summons our immune system into action and without it we would die. There are two kinds of inflammation, however. Acute (the kind we need to stay alive) and chronic. Chronic inflammation is an insidious killer, because unlike acute inflammation, you cannot feel it. Silently, it stresses the body and helps to create disease states that overwhelm the system, ultimately leading to death. As previously mentioned, sugar plays a large role in chronic inflammation, and its elimination or significant reduction alone could help decrease adverse health conditions.Oftentimes, it is the most simple of solutions that can help rid us of our ills, but simple solutions do not sell billions of dollars of drugs per year. Relatively small fixes, like reducing red meat consumption and reducing or eliminating simple carbohydrates and sugars, could prove most beneficial and extremely cost effective. What's more, these changes usually only generate positive side effects (e.g., lower blood pressure, weight loss, stable blood sugar etc.).
