Food and nutrition.pdf

156 Nutrition Disorder Related to Foodhelps clear the blood of cholesterol, and may even remove cholesterol fromatherosclerotic blood vessels.Cholesterol is a major component of all cell membranes. It is requiredfor synthesis of sex hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D. It is also aprecursor of the steroid hormones produced by the adrenal cortex andgonads.Dietary cholesterol is found only in foods derived from animals (meat,fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products); it is not present in plants. Saturatedfats have a profound hypercholesterolemic (increase blood cholesterollevels) effect. They are found predominantly in animal products (butter,cheese and meat) but coconut oil and palm oil are common vegetablesources. Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol levels more than anythingelse in the diet, even more than dietary cholesterol.Findings suggest that blood lipid cholesterol levels predict subsequentmortality in men, especially those with preexisting cardiovascular disease.Those with high blood cholesterol levels have a risk of death fromcardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease, that was 3.45times higher than that for men with a If desirable" blood cholesterol level.Lowering cholesterol levels decreases the incidence of heart disease.In fact, several studies have convincingly shown that adequatehypercholesterolemic treatment can not only prevent CHD, but can alsoreverse it.Dietary therapy is the cornerstone of all hypercholesterolemic therapy,and it has been estimated that 65 million adult Americans may becandidates for dietary instruction.The efficacy of hypercholesterolemic diets lowering cholesterol andin some cases, in preventing CHD, has been convincingly demonstrated.Such efficacy does depend, however, on the vigour which the physicianand dietitian support dietary therapy. Many physicians have declareddietary therapy a failure without providing their patients with real dietaryadvice and support.Two factors that probably contribute to physicians disinterest indietary therapy are extensive advertising of hypercholesterolemic drugscompared with the little advertisingof dietary therapy and patientreluctance to alter diet and life-style. Getting patients to alter their lifestyleis often a challenging task.To further facilitate dietary therapy, recent research suggests thatcertain forms of fat (eg. fish and monounsaturated fatty acids) may behypocholesterolemic, especially if they replace saturated fatty acids in thediet. Food technology is improving daily in palatably, removing fat fromitems like cheese, chips, and crackers. Frozen yogurt has become a popularreplacement for ice cream. Fat substitutes, as they become available, may