Cardiologist Gives Thumbs Up To High Fat Diet With Olive Oil

For years and years it has been drilled into us that high fat diets are bad for heart health and that we should avoid fatty foods like butter, lard and even our very own favourite, olive oil.

Heart disease and strokes are the second biggest killer in South Africa, after HIV/AIDS. Once thought to be a disease of the elderly, heart disease now affects people of working age, with more than half of deaths occurring in people under the age of 65 years. – The Heart and Stroke Foundation

While this stat is rather alarming and you might be thinking you should swear off all fats in favour of low fat dies, according to cardiologist Aseem Malhotra, certain fats are actually very good for your heart.

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Malhorta claims that adopting a Mediterranean diet after suffering a heart attack is actually more powerful than aspirin, statins and even heart stents.

As part of a heart-healthy diet, I advise my cardiac patients to enjoy full-fat cheese, along with olive oil and vegetables as well as meat and eggs, including the yolks. – Aseem Malhotra

Malhorta is not the only one that is promoting the high fat diet for heart health. According to the New York Times report, “the dangers of high cholesterol are overstated.” A fact that has now been widely recognized.

The American Dietary Guidelines Committee removed the concern about cholesterol in the new dietary guidelines released in 2015, stating that:

Previously, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended that cholesterol intake be limited to no more than 300 mg/day. The 2015 DGAC will not bring forward this recommendation because available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol…cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.

Along with other researchers and doctors, the message Malhorta is trying to get across is that sugar and excess carbohydrates are the number one enemy of heart disease, not fat.

Sources: http://www.heartfoundation.co.za/heart-awareness-month-0

https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-health-news/high-fat-diet-with-olive-oil-for-heart-patients/52728

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