Exercise Helps After A High-Fat Meal: Study Shows Improved Arteries in 45 Minutes
Perhaps you saw the headlines: "Just one high-fat meal can damage arteries!"
Kinda scary, isn't it? Well, not all is as it appears. While there is tremendous promise in this research, unfortunately it's being conducted with a preconceived bias -- that dietary fat is "bad" for you.
The truth is anything is bad for you in quantity, even oxygen. The truth is also that, while these studies have good intentions, they fall short of delivering what they claim: proof that fat is clogging your arteries faster than you can say "Lipitor."
Wrong answer. The type of fat consumed, along with the carbohydrate consumed with it, is tainting these studies. However, in the most recent study on exercise and arteries, there is good stuff. I will attempt to sort out the good from the propaganda, and then let you decide.
Indiana University kinesiology researchers recently discovered that physical activity after eating a high-fat meal does two things at once: reverses the damage to your arteries andbefore the meal. I found it interesting than in every review of this study I found, hardly no one mentioned or elaborated on that last part. improves their functioning as (get this) compared to
Professor Janet Wallace and team looked at eight twenty-five-year-old subjects, assuming that they were a safe set of "guinea pigs" I would imagine, and fed them two meals. The first meal was "high-fat" (more on why that's in quotes in a moment.) The second meal was low in dietary fat.
After the high-fat meal, scans of the subjects' brachial artery, which is similar to coronary arteries in structure, revealed, in Wallace's words, "…arteries that looks just like the arteries of a person who had heart disease." Clog city.
However, when engaging in mere brisk walking for 45 minutes two hours after this meal, the arteries returned to normal…and then some. The arteries actually showed improvement.
The test subjects also ate a low-fat meal for comparison.
What's Wrong With This Study?
Plenty. For starters, the fats used were highly processed and included trans fats, which have been strongly associated with the onset of heart disease. These fats are biologically useless to the body. It's no wonder they clog up the plumbing.
But that's not all -- the meal consumed was indeed high in fat, but also very high in calories and high glycemic carbohydrates.
The researchers failed to test naturally occurring fats "only" in their experiment, devoid of high-GI carbs (hash browns were used in this example). Would the arteries have clogged then? Also, would one session of walking reverse, say, three full meals of this kind of eating?
It's wonderful that we clearly see what exercise does to the arteries. This is nothing new to readers of Fit Over 40. The exercise and dietary recommendations in my book easily fulfill the requirements of a super-healthy lifestyle -- and that can mean healthier arteries.
However, this is creating more "fat phobia." A bit of common sense will dismiss it. First, fat and carbohydrate are both sources of fuel for the body. Fat is a long-term energy source. Carbohydrate, a short-term energy source. What happens when you mix, say, diesel fuel with unleaded in your car?
While this is an extreme example, the philosophy is sound: if your fat intake is elevated in a meal, decrease your carbs. The other way around works as well, assuming you have sufficient protein in the meal. Otherwise those carbs can cause spikes in insulin, especially in cab-sensitive individuals.
Elevated insulin has been shown to clog arteries quickly as well, which is another flaw in this study. The meal consumed would have done just that. Trans fats can elevate insulin, an hash browns -- well, that's insulin's playground.
So where did the actual damage come from? Was it from the "high fat content" of the meal, or the overall structure of the meal itself, which was almost 1,000 calories? You can guess where my vote goes.
The Masai are a group of nomads in regions of Africa that have long puzzled the "low-fat is the way to go" advocates. These people consume massive quantities of animal fat -- yet heart disease is virtually unknown to them. They are very active, walking long distances while hunting and gathering food. On top of all this, they eat no vegetables whatsoever for long periods of time. Yet, they are far more healthy than the average American -- by a long shot.
Another example are the Inuit -- Eskimos who consume large amounts of fish fat, yet remain free of heart disease. They are not as active as the Masai.
Common sense time: if a high-fat meal was solely responsible for arterial damage, then the Masai and Inuit would be dead -- all of them but the most genetically gifted. Instead, it is "we" who are dying off in mass numbers from heart disease, despite the fact that our diets have lowered in fat over the past 25 years. The heart disease numbers continue to climb.
Here's the takeaway: there is no one correct way to eat. Exercise after a heavy meal is a very, very smart idea. Consume naturally occurring fats, balanced with protein and vegetables. Go very light on the starches, especially if you're consuming a higher-fat meal. When eating starch, be sure to consume protein and veggies to slow the absorption of sugar.
And, finally, get off the fat phobia bandwagon.
Fat is absolutely necessary for life. The quantity may be open to debate, but the reality is that carbohydrates of any kind can be done away with for years without harming health (as shown in multiple studies, and examples like the Inuit and Masai). Try that with fat or protein, and you'll die.
One more bit about these types of studies. The parent study that started this whole "look what fat does to your arteries" was based on a meal of (I'm not kidding) carrot cake and a milkshake.
Yeah. Fat is really the issue there.
Our diets have been moderate to high in fat for millions of years. They've been moderate to high in carbs for only about 10,000. My take is to create balance -- which is found in spades in Fit Over 40. However, if I had to choose, I'd go with the long-term player. Natural fats, balanced with a lot of omega 3 fatty acids, with tons of raw and partially cooked veggies, a small amount of fruit, and ample quantities of lean protein. Very little dairy for my tastes these days.
I'd love to see ‘that' diet, as well as the "Fit Over 40 Lifestyle", tested in this fashion!
Jon Benson
Creator/Co-Author of Fit Over 40: Role Models For Excellence At Any Age
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