Naturopathic Solutions

In this WEBMD report via Fox News, we learn that a new study has found that even one high fat meal may have negative cardiovascular implications.  Specifically, the study found that one high fat meal may increase stress on the heart.

Study author Tavis Campbell, PhD, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Calgary:  “What’s really shocking is that it’s just one meal.  It's been well documented that a high-fat diet leads to  atherosclerosis , hardening of the arteries, and high blood pressure, and that exaggerated and prolonged cardiovascular responses to stress are associated with high blood pressure in the future."

In the study one group ate a high fat meal and one ate a low fat meal with the same number of calories and sodium.  Stress tests conducted two hours later showed that, “regardless of the task, the blood pressure response was greater among those who ate the high-fat meal than those who ate the low-fat one.”

While I normally tend to feel that total calorie consumption trumps worrying too much about fat content, per se, this study would tend to corroborate the long held medical view that a heavy fat diet is dangerous for your heart.  In fact, even one heavy fat meal is dangerous for your heart.

If you don’t regularly read the People’s Pharmacy column by Joe and Teresa Graedon, you should.  Their columns contain a wealth of health information in easy to understand language.  They simplify and educate at the same time. 

This column which I quote in its entirety clarifies the use of aspirin as a heart disease aid for both men and women:

“A March 2007 study of almost 80,000 women followed for more than 20 years suggests that women do benefit from aspirin. The nurses who participated were less likely to die of a heart attack if they took aspirin regularly for at least five years. After 10, cancer rates dropped also.

Doses ranged from one to 14 standard aspirin tablets a week. Some experts have suggested that the optimal dose to protect against heart attacks is around 160 milligrams daily — half a regular tablet. Do not take aspirin daily without medical supervision: It can damage the gut and interact with other medications.”

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