FATS: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly - Part 2

PART 2:  Recommendations For Dietary Fat Intake


In Part 1 of my article "FATS: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly" which I posted last week, I discussed the different types of fat that exist and pointed out which ones are healthier for you.

In Part 2 this week, I am going to discuss the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued by the Department of Agriculture, which provides recommendations for dietary fat intake.

Here's a look at the recommendations and common food source for each type of dietary fat:
 
* TOTAL FAT:  This includes all types of dietary fat (i.e. monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 essential fatty acids, saturated fat, and trans fat). Limit total fat intake to 20-35% of your daily calories. So for somebody on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, this amounts to 44-78 grams of total fat a day. The major food source for fat is both plant- and animal-based.
 
* MONOUNSATURATED FAT:  While no specific amount is recommended, the guidelines recommend eating foods rich in this healthy fat while staying within your total fat allowance. Major food sources include olive oil, peanut oil, canola oil, avocados, poultry, nuts and seeds.
 
* POLYUNSATURATED FAT:  While no specific amount is recommended, the guidelines recommend eating foods rich in this healthy fat while staying within your total fat allowance. Major food sources include vegetable oils (such as safflower, corn, sunflower, soy and cottonseed oils), nut oils (such as peanut oil), poultry, nuts and seeds.
 
* OMEGA-3 ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS:  While no specific amount is recommended, the guidelines recommend eating foods rich in this healthy fat while staying within your total fat allowance. Major food sources include fatty, cold-water fish (i.e. salmon, mackerel and herring), ground flax seed, flax oil and walnuts. You can also obtain quality omega-3s from a pharmaceutical-grade fish oil supplement.
 
* SATURATED FAT:  Limit saturated fat to NO MORE THAN 10% OF YOUR TOTAL DAILY CALORIES. Limit it to 7% TO FURTHER REDUCE YOUR RISK OF HEART DISEASE. Based on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, a 10% limit would yield 22 grams of saturated fat per day, while a 7% limit would yield 15 grams per day. Saturated fat intake counts toward your total daily allowance of fat. Major food sources come include cheese, pizza, grain-based desserts, and animal products, such as chicken dishes, sausage, hot dogs, bacon and ribs. Other food sources include lard and butter as well as coconut, palm and other tropical oils.
 
* TRANS FAT:  No specific amount is recommended, but the guidelines say THE LOWER THE BETTER. Avoid trans fat from synthetic (processed) sources. It's difficult to eliminate all trans fats because of their presence in meat and dairy foods. The American Heart Association recommends limiting trans fat to NO MORE THAN 1% OF YOUR TOTAL DAILY CALORIES. For most people, this means less than 2 grams per day.  Major food sources include margarine's, snack foods and desserts such as cookies and cakes. Other food sources (and these are naturally occurring) include meat and dairy products.

• NOTE:  Many foods contain more than one kind of fat along with varying levels of each type. As an example, butter contains both saturated and unsaturated fat, but a larger percentage of the total fat content comes from saturated fat. As another example, canola oil contains saturated polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fat, but a larger percentage of the total fat content comes from monounsaturated fat.  

Now that you understand the recommendations for dietary fat intake (as issued by the Department of Agriculture), you can calculate what your daily fat intake should be in grams. To calculate your daily fat intake, first multiply your daily total calorie intake by the recommended percentage of fat intake. Then divide that total by 9 (which is the number of calories in a gram of fat).

• EXAMPLE 1:  Assume you are limiting your total daily fat intake to 25% and that you are on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, To calculate your total daily fat intake in grams, multiply 2,000 by 0.25 to get 500 calories. Then divide 500 calories by 9 calories per gram to get about 56 grams of fat. So in this example, your total daily fat intake is 500 calories or 56 grams. You don't want to exceed these levels.

• EXAMPLE 2:  Next, assume you are limiting your daily saturated fat intake to 7% and that you are on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, To calculate your daily saturated fat intake in grams, multiply 2,000 by 0.07 to get 140 calories. Then divide 140 calories by 9 calories per gram to get about 16 grams of fat. So in this example, your daily saturated fat intake is 140 calories or 16 grams. You don't want to exceed these levels.

You might think that since watching fat intake is a good strategy, it might be even better to try to eliminate ALL fat from your diet? But it's not. Your body needs some fat — the healthier fats — to function normally. If you try to avoid all fat, you risk getting insufficient amounts of fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids. Also, in attempting to remove fat from your diet, you may wind up eating too many processed foods advertised as low-fat or fat-free rather than healthier and naturally lower fat foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Enjoy healthier fats in moderation.

So now that you have a better understanding of the different types of dietary fat that exist, along with their recommended levels of intake, how do you adjust your diet to meet recommended dietary guidelines?

In a nutshell, focus on reducing foods high in saturated fat and trans fat. Then emphasize foods that include plenty of monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. But be careful not to go overboard even on healthier fats. All fats, including the healthy ones, are high in calories. So try to consume foods that contain monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats INSTEAD of other fatty foods...but in moderation.

As an experiment, track your fat intake tomorrow.  Then send me a message (via the "Contact Me" tab at the top of the page) telling me how many calories you ate and the breakdown of fats you ate in calories or grams. (Include all monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 essential fatty acids, saturated fat, and trans fat.)

If you have any questions about anything I discussed, please feel free to send me a message. I will be happy to answer all of your questions.

FATS: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

Do you need to eat fat to be healthy? Does eating fat make you fatter? The answer to both of these questions is YES and NO! You certainly need to ensure you are consuming the right types of fat as there are health benefits, but you also need to watch your fat intake as it can lead to weight gain if you eat too much.

In Part 1 this week, I will discuss the different types of fat that exist and point out which ones are healthier for you.


Part 1: Understanding The Different Types Of Fat That Exist and What They Mean To Your Health


The first thing to understand about fat is that there are numerous types of fat, and most foods contain several different kinds of fat. Your body makes its own fat from taking in excess calories. But some fats are found in foods from plants and animals and are known as dietary fat. Dietary fat is one of three fundamental macronutrients that provide energy for your body. (The other two macronutrients are protein and carbohydrates.) Fat is essential to your health because it supports a number of your body's functions, including improving cardiovascular health, improving brain function, and improving skin moisture levels. In addition, some vitamins must have fat to dissolve and nourish your body.

On the other hand, the concern with some types of dietary fat is that they are thought to play a role in cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and obesity.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS: There is extensive research that suggests when it comes to dietary fat, you should focus on eating healthy fats and avoiding unhealthy fats.

So what are unhealthy fats? And what are healthy fats?

There are two main types of unhealthy fat: saturated fat and trans fat.

Saturated fat is a type of fat that comes mainly from foods from animals. Saturated fat raises total blood cholesterol levels as well as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Saturated fat may also increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Trans fat is a type of fat that occurs naturally in some foods, especially foods from animals. However, most trans fats are made during food processing through partial hydrogenation of unsaturated fats. This process creates fats that are easier to cook with and less likely to spoil than are naturally occurring oils. These trans fats are called industrial or synthetic trans fats, and research studies show that synthetic trans fat can increase unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. This can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. Most fats that have a high percentage of saturated fat or trans fat are solid at room temperature. Because of this, they're typically referred to as solid fats. They include beef fat, pork fat, shortening, stick margarine and butter.

There are also two main types of healthy fat: monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat.

Monounsaturated fat is a type of fat found in a variety of foods & oils. Studies show that eating foods rich in these fats improve blood cholesterol levels and may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control.

Polyunsaturated fat is a type of fat found mostly in plant-based foods and oils. Research shows that eating foods rich in polyunsaturated fats improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. These fats may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. One type of polyunsaturated fat, called omega-3 fatty acids, may be especially beneficial to your heart. Omega-3s, found in some types of fatty fish, appear to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. They may also protect against irregular heartbeats and help lower blood pressure levels. Omega-3s can also be found in nutritional supplements for those that don't eat fish. Just make sure your nutritional supplement is manufactured to pharmaceutical-grade standards so you can ensure quality. Foods made up mostly of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature, such as olive oil, safflower oil, peanut oil and corn oil.

Because some fats are considered healthy and others unhealthy, it pays to know which ones you're eating and whether you're meeting national recommendations. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued by the Department of Agriculture, provides recommendations for dietary fat intake. I will discuss these recommendations next week in Part 2 of my article on "FATS: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly".

Until then, do you know how to determine the different types of fat that you are eating?

The Importance of Vitamin D and the Dangers of Vitamin D Deficiency - Part 3

PART 3: What Are The Risks Of Vitamin D Deficiency?


In Part 2, I discussed the level of circulating vitamin D needed by the body to achieve optimal health, as well as the amount you should strive to get from a nutritional supplement. In Part 3 today, I will discuss the risks of not achieving desired levels...or the risks of a vitamin D deficiency.

You might be wondering how many people have a vitamin D deficiency. Unfortunately, our nation is in the midst of realizing that over 90% of the population is seriously deficient in vitamin D. This is the reason I chose to discuss the importance of vitamin D and the risks of not getting enough, or becoming vitamin D deficient.

When people discussed vitamin D half a century ago, the conversation was typically around the nutritional deficiency called rickets. Rickets is a condition that leads to softening and weakening of the bones and was more of a common occurence at that time. Rickets is rare in the United States today. What we have learned since then is that there are other illnesses we need to worry about today with our current vitamin D levels, even if those levels are enough to avoid the problem of rickets. Today you can still be deficient in vitamin D even if you don't have rickets, and a vitamin D deficiency can raise the risk of numerous degenerative diseases. In fact, a February 2006 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that vitamin D deficiency may account for several thousand premature deaths annually.

So is a vitamin D deficiency related to heart disease? This is an important question to answer since the 2003 WHO World Health Report listed total world deaths from all heart diseases at 16.7 million. To answer that question we need to look at recently published clinical and epidemiological studies.

One recent study done by the American College of Cardiology details the risk of developing cardiovascular disease (which includes both heart attacks and strokes) in patients who have vitamin D deficiencies. They point out that vitamin D deficiency can lead to high blood pressure and thickening of the heart and blood vessels. "Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated,” stated study co-author Dr. James O’Keefe. You want to have your physician run a 25-Hydroxy vitamin D level on your blood and you want that level to be between 40 and 60.

Another study published in September 2008 revealed that for every small decrease in blood levels of vitamin D there was a startling 86% increase in fatal strokes. The researchers concluded that low levels of 25-Hydroxy vitamin D levels are independently predictive of fatal strokes and they suggest that vitamin D supplementation is a promising approach in the prevention of strokes.

A third study published in the journal "Circulation" showed that low levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack, heart failure, or stroke. And, those with both hypertension and low vitamin D levels had nearly double the risk of cardiovascular problems.

And finally, a report published in the "Archives of Internal Medicine" on June 11th, 2007 added more evidence in the link of low vitamin D levels and heart disease. These researchers measured the 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D levels in over 15,000 women. Those women who had the lowest levels of vitamin D had significantly higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and elevated triglyceride levels (the other fat in the blood other than cholesterol). These are all risk factors for heart disease and strokes.

So hopefully you see the link between vitamin D deficiency and heart disease, but what about its link to cancer? This is health enemy #2 as cancer was responsible for 7.6 million deaths (according to the World Health Organization in 2005). To answer that question we again need to look at recently published clinical and epidemiological studies.

In a July 2008 study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition", research showed a correlation between vitamin D levels and various stages of breast cancer development.

In a November 2007 study published in the the journal "Preventive Medicine", research revealed that low serum vitamin D may be associated with an increased incidence of endometrial cancer.

And in a four-year study published in June 2007 in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition", researchers at Creighton University in Nebraska discovered that those randomly assigned to take calcium and vitamin D and who had higher levels of both in their blood were 77% less likely to develop cancer after the first year compared to those taking placebos or calcium alone.

So there is a strong correlation between vitamin D deficiency and cancer.

You may also be interested in knowing there are strong correlations between vitamin D deficiency and the following:

* A five-fold increased risk of preeclampsia in pregnant mothers;
* An increased risk of poor long-term bone health in the children of pregnant mothers;
* An increase in knee pain and a decrease in mobility in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee;
* A decrease in physical performance and grip strength;
* Those residents who live in areas with chronic sun exposure...i.e southern populations. (NOTE: It is well-established that vitamin D deficiency is very common among northern populations.)

I hope I've helped you to understand some of the risks of vitamin D deficiency. The risks are many and can pose a serious threat to your health. My advice is two-fold: (1) Ensure you are spending 15-30 minutes in the sun every day when the sun is high in the sky. Sunlight is your principal source of vitamin D; and (2) If you haven't already, start supplementing with vitamin D (but make absolutely sure it is manufactured to pharmaceutical-grade standards so you know what you are getting). If you need help selecting the right one, please let me know. This concludes my three-part series on vitamin D. If you have any questions about anything mentioned in my three-part discussion, please don't hesitate to ask. There are several ways to contact me on my page.

The Importance of Vitamin D & the Dangers of Vitamin D Deficiency - Part 2

PART 2: How Much Vitamin D Do You Need From A Supplement?


In Part 1 of my article "The Importance of Vitamin D and the Dangers of Vitamin D Deficiency" which I blogged about last Thursday, I discussed the importance of vitamin D as well as the three places you can get it. In Part 2 today, I will discuss the levels necessary to protect your health and promote OPTIMAL health.

I want to start by calling your attention to an article published in the July 19, 2007 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. The article made a very strong argument that the overwhelming majority of Americans are deficient in vitamin D and need to supplement their diet. Between 40 and 100% of our elderly people along with the majority of our children are lacking in adequate vitamin D levels. The researchers point out that the normally recommended daily intake of 400 International Units (IU's) of vitamin D is inadequate and still leads to vitamin D deficiency.

The authors of the article calculated just some of the health benefits of maintaining adequate vitamin D levels found in the medical literature:

* 78% reduction in Type 1 Diabetes in children taking 2,000 IU's of vitamin D in the first year of life
* 200% increase in Type 1 Diabetes in children who are vitamin D deficient
* 33% reduction in Type 2 Diabetes in those taking 800 IU's of vitamin D plus calcium
* 30-50% more cancers in vitamin D-deficient people
* 42% reduction in multiple sclerosis in women taking more than 400 IU's/day of vitamin D

I also want to call attention to the fact that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently raised the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin D from 400 to 600 IU's/day for healthy adults. The RDA increased to 800 IU's/day for adults 71 years of age and older.

Though the RDA for vitamin D was increased, the most current studies are showing that, in many cases, 600 IU's is still inadequate to overcome vitamin D deficiency. And numerous studies are showing greater benefits to levels above 600 IU's/day.

In a 2005 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers found that doses of 700 to 800 IU's of vitamin D3 per day may reduce the risk of hip fracture by 26% and nonvertebral fracture by 23%. [JAMA 2005 May 11;293(18):2257-64].

In a separate study, a decrease of 90% in upper respiratory infections was seen by those who supplemented with 2,000 IU's of vitamin D daily.

And based on a host of other studies, there is strong evidence that vitamin D can effectively reduce viral born infections like seasonal influenza. The evidence in these studies are so strong that many physicians now recommend increasing daily intakes to 5,000 IU's or more during the flu season, rather than rely on the questionable effectiveness and risk of the flu shot.

For those that may wonder about the safe level of vitamin D, keep this in mind. Taking vitamin D from a supplement would require 10,000 IU's every day for over six months before you might see any side effects.

So now that you have a better understanding of the levels that have a more protective benefit, how do you identify your true vitamin D level? And what are desirable vitamin D blood levels that you should achieve? First of all, you can identify your true vitamin D level through a blood test. The most accepted blood test is called a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D Blood Level Test. This test can be done non-fasting, but it needs to be ordered by a physician. The level you want to achieve for OPTIMAL health is 40 to 60 ng/ml. Some practitioners would like to see it as high as 80 ng/ml. Nevertheless, everyone agrees that if the level is less than 20 ng/ml, you have a serious problem and need to address it immediately. A level between 20 and 40 ng/ml is generally considered to be inadequate and increased supplementation with vitamin D3 (the most potent form of vitamin D) is strongly recommended.

So, the first goal is to get a 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D Blood Level Test done. The next goal is to bring your vitamin D level up to the recommended level (between 40 and 60ng/ml) through vitamin D supplementation (typically greater than 600 IU's). Once this is accomplished, the final goal should be to maintain these levels by taking at least 1,000 to 1,200 IU's of vitamin D3 in supplementation daily.

I hope this article helps you better understand the levels of vitamin D necessary to protect your health and promote OPTIMAL health.

Next week, in Part 3 of my three-part series on vitamin D, I will outline the dangers of being vitamin D deficient.

The Importance of Vitamin D & the Dangers of Vitamin D Deficiency - Part 1

Vitamin D is such an important nutrient that I am going to spend the next few weeks discussing it. As many of you know I blog on a health topic every Thursday, so be prepared for a discussion of vitamin D over the next few weeks. As always, feel free to ask questions along the way.


PART 1: Is Vitamin D Really That Important?


To begin to answer that question, we must first ask, "What exactly is vitamin D?" Here is a hint. What comes to mind if I say "bones" or "teeth"? If you answered calcium, you're only partly right. It is true that calcium is essential for hardening teeth and bones, but no matter how much calcium you consume, without vitamin D, your body cannot absorb and use the mineral. So, vitamin D is vital for strong bones and teeth. But that's only part of the story.

We now know that vitamin D functions at the cellular level. It enters the nucleus and regulates the expression of over 2,000 genes, which is about 6% of the human genome. This ability is unmatched by any other molecule, allowing it to improve fertility, safeguard pregnancy, reduce chronic inflammation, help weight control, protect against infectious agents, prevent strokes, prevent dementia, bolster the immune response, boost mental cognition, help regulate heart function, and support muscle strength!

Consider also the following:

* CANCER: More than 2,500 studies have been published confirming vitamin D's role in the prevention of cancer. Vitamin D may be the single most effective means of cancer prevention, even outpacing the benefit of a healthy diet.

* HEART DISEASE: Vitamin D's benefit in stimulating cardiovascular function is now recognized as being as important as aerobic exercise.

* MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS): You are 500 times more likely to develop MS if you live in a temperate zone vs the Tropics. In other words, MS is related to lattitude. If you were to draw a line from San Francisco through Las Vegas to Washington DC, you could then say that those who live above this line are 500 times more likely to contract MS. For years we have known that vitamin D supplementation can reduce the risk of MS and other autoimmune diseases. Now we are beginning to understand why. Regular sun exposure, along with vitamin D supplementation, just may be the best course of action for preventing this debilitating disease.

* VIRAL INFECTIONS: The evidence supporting vitamin D's ability to reduce viral born infections, such as seasonal influenza, is so strong that many physicians now recommend increasing daily intakes to 5,000 IU's or more during the flu season, rather than rely on the questionable effectivenss and risk of the flu shot.

In a nutshell, if there was a single nutrient that would help you ward off heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, dementia, influenza, bacterial infection, depression, insomnia, muscle weakness, fibromyalgia, osteomalacia, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, and hypertension (or high blood pressure), it would be vitamin D! It may, in fact, be our most under-appreciated and misunderstood health secret.

As far as its source, you can obtain vitamin D in three different ways: (1) from sunlight; (2) from food; and (3) from nutritional supplements.

Most people don't realize that the principle source of vitamin D is produced in the skin upon exposure to the sun. To receive maximum benefit from sunlight, you should try to spend 15-30 minutes in direct sunlight every day (especially between 10 AM and 2 PM). This is equivalent to taking 15,000 to 20,000 IU's of vitamin D in supplemental form. To get the equivalent amount of vitamin D from your food would require you to eat 30 cans of sardines, 100-200 glasses of milk, 100-200 bowls of fortified cereal, 500-1000 egg yolks, or 4 1/2 lbs of wild salmon. I wouldn't advise it! You might be asking yourself, "Won't I receive too much vitamin D from the sun (being that it is fat soluble)? We now know it is not possible to overdose on vitamin D synthesized by the sun. Our body has mechanisms to inactivate vitamin D.

Also consider the fact that vitamin D from strong sunlight is responsible for preventing cancers of the breast, ovaries, colon, prostrate, bladder, uterus, esophagus, rectum, and stomach. The further you live from the equator, the greater your risk of dying from cancer.

Here are a couple of important things to note! First, the toxic ingredients in sunscreen has contributed to the vitamin D deficiency we now see worldwide. As soon as you put on a sunscreen with an SPF of 15, you eliminate over 90% of your body's capacity to make vitamin D. DO NOT overuse sunscreen. Secondly, vitamin D depends on cholesterol for synthesis. If you are taking a cholesterol lowering statin drug, you are shorting yourself of the very substance that is essential for the formation of vitamin D, as well as all your sex hormones and other substances that are absolutely essential for life.

The second way you receive vitamin D is through food, but the amount you receive from your diet is insignificant.

And the third way you receive vitamin D is through nutritional supplementation. In Part 2 next week, entitled "How much Vitamin D Do You Need?", I will outline the level of vitamin D needed by the body as well as the importance of vitamin D supplementation.