The alluring braised pork, the sweet cream cake... high-fat foods are always a love-hate relationship, impossible to resist. Little do we know, the price of indulging in these delicious treats is enormous.
Slowed brain function. 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 difficulty concentrating and slow reactions.
Disrupted metabolism. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, discovered that a high-fat diet affects the molecular mechanisms that control the body's internal "clock," inducing metabolic disorders that lead to 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, triggering a series of liver diseases. For instance, 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 a key factor in inducing inflammation. Obesity caused by a high-fat diet is often accompanied by a series of inflammatory diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
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 thrombi in the blood vessel walls. This causes the vessel lumens to narrow and become thinner, slows blood flow, and leads to hypoxia 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, colorectal, stomach, and esophageal cancers. 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 the disease's progression. 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 ubiquitous high-fat foods?
First, when eating meat, choose fish first, followed by poultry, and then red meat. Ensure a total intake of 2 to 3 liang (about 100-150 grams) of meat per day, and eat less processed meat products like ham and sausages.
Second, be vigilant and identify 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 is crucial to control the amount of animal organs consumed. Among delicious seafood, squid and eel have high cholesterol content. In shrimp, crab, sardines, and clams, cholesterol is concentrated in the head and roe; these two parts 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 can be astonishing. A plate of lettuce (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 dining out, be sure to ask for "less oil."
Finally, control your daily diet. Eat less sweets, as excess 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.