Heart-Heath Bout: Fat vs. Carbs

I want my heart to keep ticking without surgery or drugs well into my old age, and I know the diet I eat now will help or harm this endeavor. I know I should get plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole-grains, but If I am going to splurge on bad food, which is worse for my heart: saturated fat or refined carbs?

In an article on the Huffington Post, Dr. Andrew Weil, founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, addressed just this issue of fat, carbs and heart health. He started by talking about a restaurant in a suburb of Phoenix,  the "Heart Attack Grill," that offers single, double, triple and quadruple "bypass burgers" (featuring one, two, three and four patties, respectively) along with cheese. Its motto is a "Taste Worth Dying For!"

However, Dr. Weil said the saturated fat found in these burgers, which is quite high, is not the most dangerous food item on this menu. In fact, he said the saturated fat may be the least damaging ingredient found on the menu.

Saturated fat is made of fatty acid chains that cannot incorporate additional hydrogen atoms, he explained. He noted an analysis that combined the results of 21 studies, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in March 2010 found saturated fat was not associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke or coronary vascular disease.

The real danger poised in the Heart Attack Grill lies in the carbohydrates, especially the added sugars. Sugar lowers high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and raises triglycerides.

Carbohydrates are so bad, Dr. Weil said, because they spike insulin levels, which affects hormone levels and “the entire harmonic ensemble of the human body.” Besides for damaging the heart, he said refined carbohydrates, starches and sugar most likely cause cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic Western diseases.

He concluded by saying we should worry less about fat, and focus more on reducing quick-digesting carbohydrates, especially sugars.

This is bad news for my taste buds, as I’d rather eat a sugary chocolate muffin than a greasy burger, but if it’s for my heart, I will pass on the refined carbohydrates in order to avoid that bypass.