Ditch the Doughnuts for Heart Health

The last post discussed the connection between inflammation and heart disease, and included specific foods to avoid such as foods made with refined sugar and white flour, and refined vegetable oils high in polyunsaturated fat (sunflower, safflower, corn, and cottonseed oils).   

Almost everyone is aware that a diet high in sugar and fat is recognized as unhealthy, but most aren’t sure where to start in making changes to their diet.  And, it is important to understand that not all fats are linked to poor health.  You have likely heard about “healthy fats”, but how do you know which ones these are?

Since both refined carbohydrates (sugar and white flour – think “doughnut”) and refined, polyunsaturated vegetable oils promote inflammation, it is important to understand which foods to avoid.  In addition, a basic understanding of how they promote inflammation will help emphasize why TODAY is a good day to ditch the doughnut to protect your blood vessels.

Polyunsaturated vegetable oils include sunflower, safflower, corn, and cottonseed oils.  They are high in linoleic acid, an omega-6 essential fatty acid that the body converts to arachidonic acid.  When arachidonic acid is metabolized, it has a predominately pro-inflammatory influence as it converts to chemical messengers that promote platelet aggregation (essential for blood clotting) and increase smooth muscle constriction (including blood vessels).  Too much of this effect will have potentially negative consequences for the health of the blood vessels.

There are ways to inhibit the inflammatory pathway.  One is to take an anti-inflammatory drug, but it is even better is to increase the sources of omega 3 fatty acids in your diet.  Omega-3 fatty acids compete for the enzyme needed to metabolize arachidonic acid, and thus block the conversion to pro-inflammatory chemical messengers.  This is why health professionals are encouraging patients to eat more fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids and/or to supplement with a quality fish oil containing EPA/DHA.  

Which fats are “healthy fats”?  These include vegetable oils that are low in linoleic such as olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, and flaxseed oil.  Healthy fats also include foods that contain monounsaturated vs. polyunsaturated fats such as nuts, olives, and avocado.  

Unfortunately the thousands of packaged snacks and baked goods on today’s grocery shelves typically contain sunflower, safflower, corn and cottonseed oils.  To protect the health of your heart, skip these foods and replace them with some nuts, avocado and salmon.  

Refined sugar and white flour products also promote inflammation.  After eating a food high in sugar, blood sugar rises quickly, triggering the release of insulin from the pancreas.  When insulin levels are high, hormones inside our cells called eicosanoids become skewed toward pro-inflammatory compounds.  On top of this, high insulin levels activate enzymes that raise levels of arachidonic acid in the blood, potentially magnifying the inflammatory response.

High blood sugar levels also increase the risk of damage to blood vessels. Extra sugar molecules may attach to a variety of proteins that can injure the blood vessel walls. This repeated injury to the blood vessel wall sets off inflammation.  If you spike your blood sugar level several times a day, every day, it is exactly like taking sandpaper to the inside of your delicate blood vessels.

So, now you know why I recommend that you “ditch the doughnuts” for a heart health.  The combined effect of sugar, white flour, and the polyunsaturated vegetable oil it is fried in will increase inflammation and your risk of heart disease.  Even if you don’t remember one detail about how inflammation occurs, just remember to “ditch the doughnut” (and all of its close relatives) to protect the health of your heart.