Fat Intake and Risks

Excessive dietary saturated fat is the worst food habit. Saturated-fat-intake is the major cause of atherosclerosis (including heart attacks and strokes). Serum cholesterol are all right for motivation, but dietary changes should be made by everyone, regardless of their serum cholesterol level, because everyone will benefit. A good serum cholesterol goal is 175 mg/dl or less.

Native Japanese on native diets average a serum cholesterol level of under 100! Important new evidence suggests that atherosclerotic plaques (patches) that have already built up on inside of your arteries can decrease in size. In some instances, plaques nearly disappear with sufficient dietary change. This has been shown both in monkeys first given high-fat (atherogenic) diets and then normal diets and exercise, and by arteriographic studies (X-ray dye studies) of human hearts.

Serum cholesterol levels are only a very rough guide to your dietary needs. The actual chemistry of fat in the body is very complicated. The waxy white cholesterol not only comes in your diet but also is manufactured by your liver. This production in turn is related to the various other fats in your diet. Attached to the cholesterol itself are high-density lipoproteins (HDL), which help prevent atherosclerosis, and low-density lipoproteins (LDL), which make serious problems much more likely. The LDL travels “outbound” from the liver and can deposit on the inside of vessel walls. The HDL takes cholesterol “inbound” back to the liver for excretion and can help remove plaque from arterial walls. Many laboratories measure serum cholesterol quite inaccurately. Hence, I am not too enthusiastic about using serum cholesterol levels as the sole measure of your own dietary needs. Everyone will benefit from further decreasing fat intake.