The alluring braised pork belly, the sweet cream cake... high-fat foods are always a love-hate affair, impossible to resist. Little do we know, the price of indulging in these delicious treats is enormous. Eating these foods can damage the brain, harm the liver, and even cause cancer.
Slows down the brain
Research has found that free saturated fatty acids in a high-fat diet can reduce the number of protein transporters in the blood-brain barrier. This leads to a glucose deficiency in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, causing problems such as poor concentration and slow reaction times.
Disrupts metabolism
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, discovered that a high-fat diet affects the molecular mechanisms that control the body's internal "clocks," triggering metabolic disorders and leading to metabolic diseases like diabetes and obesity.
Causes liver disease
Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München in Germany found that lipids in high-fat foods activate immune cells, which then migrate to the liver. There, they interact with cells in the liver tissue, causing a range of liver diseases. For example, fatty liver disease is caused by excessive intake of fat and sugar, combined with a lack of exercise.
Triggers inflammation
A research group at the University of Minnesota found that high-fat foods are one of the key factors that induce inflammation. Obesity caused by a high-fat diet is often accompanied by a series of inflammatory diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Harms the cardiovascular system
Blood is the source of life, and many diseases are closely related to it. A long-term diet of high-fat foods can easily lead to thick blood and high blood lipids, triggering atherosclerotic plaques and blood clots in the vessel walls. This causes the vessel lumens to narrow and constrict, leading to sluggish blood flow and oxygen and ischemia in body organs. If the energy supplied by fat in a person's daily diet exceeds 30% of the total daily energy intake, the incidence and mortality of coronary heart disease will significantly increase. The intake of saturated fatty acids is positively correlated with the incidence and mortality of coronary heart disease.
Induces cancer
High-fat, high-calorie diets also create opportunities for breast cancer, colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, and esophageal cancer. Researchers from the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program at Michigan State University found that adolescent girls who eat a high-fat diet increase their risk of breast cancer and accelerate its onset. Additionally, other studies have found that a high-fat diet can disrupt the gut microbiota, leading to colorectal cancer.
So, how should we deal with the ever-present high-fat foods?
First, when eating meat, choose fish first, followed by poultry, and then red meat. Ensure a total daily intake of 2 to 3 liang (about 100-150 grams) of meat, and eat less processed meat products like ham and sausage.
Second, be vigilant about hidden fats. The most easily overlooked sources are animal organs, such as liver, tripe, and intestines. To avoid excessive intake of cholesterol and fat, it's crucial to control the amount of animal organs you eat. Among delicious seafood, squid and eel have high cholesterol content. In shrimp, crab, sardines, and clams, cholesterol is concentrated in the head and roe, which should be removed before consumption.
Third, cooking methods are very important. Eat less food like grilled squid, and opt for daily cooking methods that use less oil and salt, such as steaming and boiling. Reduce dining out. Surveys show that the oil content in some vegetarian dishes in restaurants is惊人ly high (surprisingly high). A plate of oil wheat vegetable (raw weight 500 grams) can contain an average of 50 grams of oil, while the daily recommended intake of cooking oil per person should not exceed 30 grams. If you eat out, be sure to ask for "less oil."
Finally, control your daily diet. Eat less sweets, as excessive sugar is converted into triglycerides in the body, leading to fat accumulation. Limit alcohol consumption. When metabolized in the liver, alcohol consumes coenzymes, leading to insufficient fatty acid oxidation and promoting triglyceride synthesis. Excessive intake can also raise blood lipid levels.