OK to Splurge Once in a While?

Posted by: Curt | Under: 40's/fit, 50's/fit, Children/fit, Diet and Weight Loss, General Fitness, Health, Ladies/fit, Prime/fit, Seniors/fit, Travel/fit, Youth/fit | (0) Comments

Not according to to new research from the University of Sydney. They found an immediate negative reaction to high saturated fat meals that suggest that you need to be careful what you splurge with.

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How bad can it be to indulge in an occasional meal or snack loaded with saturated fat?

How about bad enough to diminish your body’s ability to defend itself against heart disease.

A recent study by researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia found just that reaction after 14 trial participants, all healthy and between the ages of 18 and 40, ate just one piece of high-fat carrot cake and drank a milkshake.

That fat-laden feast compromised the ability of the participants’ arteries to expand to increased blood flow, the researchers found. The sudden boost in what’s known as saturated fat hampered the effects of so-called “good” cholesterol, the high-density lipoprotein or HDL, from doing its job — to protect the inner lining of the arteries from inflammatory agents that promote the build-up of fatty plaques. It’s this plaque that, over time, clogs blood vessels and causes heart disease.

…The high-fat meal, which contained about 90 percent saturated fat, had the equivalent of 68 grams of fat. In contrast, the meal made with polyunsaturated oil contained just 9 percent fat. The fat in the high-fat meal was equivalent to a 150-pound man or woman eating a double cheeseburger, a large order of french fries, and drinking a large milkshake, the researchers said.

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So the answer is really simple- you need to be careful even on your splurge meals. The effects of this high fat meal were evident even in young healthy subjects. While our bodies can adapt, repair and do remarkable things to maintain health, it is also a finely tuned machine that really cares what kind of fuel you put in it.