Seniors Avoiding All Fats to Prevent Heart Disease
Are Missing Benefits of Some
American Heart Association finds most unaware "Better
Fats" help, expands national fats awareness campaign
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May 22, 2008 Senior citizens, more aware of the
threat of heart disease than most young people, are very often among those
who avoid all fat in their foods. Unfortunately, the American Heart
Association has found that most people do not know you should not avoid
all fats. The better fats - monounsaturated and polyunsaturated - can
help reduce their risk of heart disease.
"Heart disease remains the No. 1 killer of
Americans. Consumers have heard a lot about the 'bad' fats lately and
what not to eat. That's why it's important for people to know the
'better' fats and foods where they're found so they can lower their risk
for heart disease," said Robert H. Eckel, M.D., past president of the
American Heart Association, chair of its trans fat task force a
Facing the Fats with the Better Fats Sisters:
Your Heart Helpers
The American Heart Association is introducing two
new characters, the Better Fats Sisters - Mon and Poly - to help
consumers learn more about the benefits of monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats and the foods where they are found.
The Web site (www.AmericanHeart.org/FaceTheFats)
features the Better Fats Sisters alongside their Bad Fats Brothers, Sat
and Trans. The Sisters help consumers find comprehensive information
about fats so that they can eat healthier in restaurants and use the
better fats when preparing meals at home.
The Better Fats Sisters remind everyone that all
fats have the same number of calories: 9 per gram, compared to the 4
calories per gram found in proteins and carbohydrates. That means that
even the "better fats" are good only in moderation.
Types of Fat and Heart Disease: Many Consumers
Know the Bad, Fewer Know the Better
The survey shows that:
● Only 41 percent of Americans know that
consuming monounsaturated fats decreases the risk of heart disease
● Only 44 percent of Americans know that
consuming polyunsaturated fats decreases the risk of heart disease
In comparison:
● 72 percent of Americans understand that
consuming saturated fats increases the risk of heart disease
● 68 percent of Americans understand that
consuming trans fats increases the risk of heart disease
Heart-Healthy Benefits of Better Fats
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats can lower
your LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels in your blood and lower your
risk of heart disease.
Monounsaturated fats can be found in vegetable oils
like olive and canola oils; and many nuts and seeds like almonds,
peanuts and sesame seeds. Peanut butter and avocados are also good
sources of monounsaturated fats.
Polyunsaturated fats can be found in oils like
soybean and corn oils and in many nuts and seeds such as walnuts and
sunflower seeds. Fatty fish like salmon and trout are also good sources
of polyunsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats include omega-3 and
omega-6, essential fats that your body needs but can't produce.
The American Heart Association's Face the Fats Web
site helps consumers make heart-healthy choices, including:
●
Test Your Fats IQ An interactive quiz that tests consumers'
knowledge of dietary fats and helps them learn more about fats on the
spot.
●
My Fats Translator An easy-to-use calculator that gives
individuals their personalized daily calorie and fat consumption
results. Its food scenarios give ideas for smarter ways to prepare
summer favorites, each with three examples of "bad," "better" and "best"
selections.
●
Better Fats Recipes New heart-healthy recipes that make use of the
better fats.
Editors Notes:
The American Heart Association's trans fat
education campaign is funded by a class action lawsuit settlement
against McDonald's. The American Heart Association has the sole judgment
as to the most effective use of the funds. For more information on the
campaign, call the American Heart Association at 1-800-AHA-USA1.
Founded in 1924, the American Heart Association
today is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary health organization
dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke.
These diseases, America's No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other
cardiovascular diseases claim nearly 870,000 lives a year. In fiscal
year 2006-07, the association invested more than $554 million in
research, professional and public education, advocacy and community
service programs to help all Americans live longer, healthier lives. To
learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit
Americanheart.org.
Proprietary national survey conducted for the
American Heart Association by Cogent Research among a representative
sample of 1,000 U.S. adults 18-65 years of age. The margin of error is
+/-3.1 percentage points.
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