Heart disease is still the number one killer or Australians. Eliminating all fat in your diet is not the answer to preventing heart disease. In fact, you need fat to support the health of your body and your heart. One great way to promote healthy cholesterol levels and heart health is not simply including healthy fats in your diet but swapping them for the less healthy fats like saturated fats and trans fats as well as foods with high amounts of added sugars.
Including healthy fats like omega-3 fat in your diet promotes a healthy heart in many ways. One of these is it helps to lower the triglyceride levels in your blood. Triglycerides are a type of fat and when the level of triglycerides become above 150mg it can reduce the effectiveness of your ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. This cholesterol helps to remove the ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol from your arteries and back into the liver where the LDL cholesterol is broken down and excreted from your body.
A study found that for 1 gram of marine-derived omega-3 polyunsaturated fat there was a 5 to 10% decrease in triglyceride levels. The benefit on your triglyceride levels was not seen in this study from plant-based omega-3 fat. Fatty fish have the most benefit in reducing your triglycerides such as salmon, sardines, trout, mackerel, and herring.
When you are adding in seafood to your diet, try including other heart healthy components like vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds. legumes and wholegrains within the meals and snacks. Research has shown that by making simple swaps and healthy additions to your diet you can decrease your triglyceride levels by 50% or more!
Take home message: Marine omega-3 fat is the superior source of this essential fat to help promote healthy triglyceride levels. Why not try adding in a seafood meal this week instead of a sausage roll from the bakers? Simple swaps can lead to big changes over time.
Reference:
Miller M, Stone NJ, Ballantyne C, Bittner V, Criqui MH, Ginsberg HN, Goldberg AC, Howard WJ, Jacobson MS, Kris-Etherton PM, Lennie TA, Levi M, Mazzone T, Pennathur S; American Heart Association Clinical Lipidology, Thrombosis, and Prevention Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism; Council on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology; Council on Cardiovascular Nursing; Council on the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease. Triglycerides and cardiovascular disease: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011 May 24;123(20):2292-333. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0b013e3182160726. Epub 2011 Apr 18. PMID: 21502576.
