Essay on biological basis of nutrition

Nutrition Paper

Part 1.
Scott, Paul. “ 5 Fishy Food Claims”. Men’s Health. August 2011. Web. Retrieved

Part 2.

In the August 2011 issue of Men’s Health Magazine it was stated that there is really no strong evidence based from prospective epidemiologic studies that will confirm that dietary saturated fat is closely related to adding the risk of stroke, Coronary Heart Disease (COD) or Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) based on the author’s interview with scientist Dr. Ronald Krauss (Krauss, Men’s Health). According to the article that was published in Men’s Health, the claim that saturated fat is sinful must be abandoned since the misconstrued “ bad cholesterol” does not deserve its bad reputation. Further, the author claims that this view which accuse LDL as “ bad cholesterol” is misconstrued at present time, resulting to discredit the role of saturated fats in stroke, heart diseases and cardiovascular diseases.

Part 3.

Based on the article of Siri-Tarino, Sun, Hu and Krauss, there was absence of noteworthy evidence to show which will conclude that dietary saturated fat play a role in increasing the risk of stroke, Coronary Heart Disease or Cardiovascular Diseases (535). In fact, it will require more relevant data to expound on the claim that CVD risks have a greater probability to be influenced by identified nutrients that are being used as substitute for saturated fat (Siri-Tarino et al. 535).
Even though there was an inverse relation of saturated fat with stroke risk that was the subject of the study, the saturated fat intake that was measured in the current meta-analysis did not clearly show that the saturated fat is associated with the risk of stroke (Siri-Tarino 545). In addition, there was inadequate statistical result based on the meta-analysis to assess the effects of the risk of having CVD after it has been substituted with carbohydrate or polyunsaturated fatty acid.
On the other hand, the article of Micha and Mozaffarian explained that the when saturated fatty acids (SFA) has been substituted with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) will lessen the incidence of coronary heart disease (893). The authors reported that there was an increase of 5percent in the proportion of energy that was derived from PUFA was able to diminish the possibility of CHD by at least 10percent. Further, it was revealed that the advantage was in relation to the consumption of PUFA improved during the trial. Lowering the consumption of SFA that can be found in meat and dairy products is another recommended method to deter CHD (Micha and Mozaffarian 895).
In the article of Hooper, it was shown that the consumption of saturated fat will augment the tendency of acquiring a cardiovascular disease (Hooper 7). While it is true that SFA will increase the possibility of CVD or CHD, the researchers studied which is the best replacement to generate energy for the body using proteins, carbohydrates and fat. The report explained that using PUFA as a substitute for SFA will decrease the probability of coronary death and heart diseases after getting the results from the controlled trials of the subjects who consumed PUFA for 12 months.

Part 4.

Based on the findings of Siri-Tarino et al., the health claim that was featured in the Men’s Health magazine stating that saturated fat is not harmful for the body since there is lack of medical evidence to support that it will increase the incidence of stroke, CVD and COD. In fact, the claim of Men’s Health author Scott was only affirmed after it was explained that the substitution of saturated fat to PUFA will help deter stroke, CVD and other heart diseases.
In the same manner, the article of Micha and Mozaffarian confirmed that saturated fat when replaced with another type of fat which is polyunsaturated fatty acid
(PUFA) can help a person lower the possibility of having coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes (Micha and Mozaffarian 894). This article also affirms the claim of Scott that there are certain kinds of saturated fats that will be beneficial to the human body to fight diseases.
The article of Hooper serves as an affirmation that Men’s Health magazine stated a fact by stating that saturated fat is not at all evil. In fact, the author claimed that the best replacement to generate energy for the body can be obtained from saturated fat. However, it must be made clear that the fat that is good for the body is only polyunsaturated fatty acid because it decreases the probability of coronary death and heart diseases based on the subjects who consumed PUFA for 12 months.

Part 5.

In conclusion, the claim of Men’s Health magazine stating that the notion regarding saturated fat being evil should be dismissed in partly wrong. While it is true that fat can decrease the risk of stroke, CVD and COD, it should be stressed that only polyunsaturated fat will lessen the occurrence of the diseases. Although there is inadequate basis to conclude that saturated fat will cause stroke and heart diseases, the three articles revealed that only “ PUFA” will reduce the risk. Therefore, it is only through the substitution of saturated fat to polyunsaturated fat that will lessen the risk of heart disease, stroke and cardiovascular diseases (Hooper 108).

Works Cited:

Hooper, Lee. “ Meta-analysis of RCTs finds that increasing consumption of
polyunsaturated fat as a replacement for saturated fat reduces the risk of coronary
heart disease”. Evidenced-Based Medicine 15 (2010): 108-109. Print.
Khaw, Kay-Tee, Friesen, Marlin D., Riboli, Elio, Luben, Robert and Nicholas Wareham.
“ Plasma Phospholipid Fatty Acid Concentration and Incident Coronary Heart
Disease in Men and Women: The EPIC-Norfolk Prospective Study”. PLoS
Medicine 9. 7 (2012): 1-12. Print.
Micha, Renata, and Dariush Mozaffarian. “ Saturated fat and cardiometabolic risk
factors, coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes: A fresh look at the
evidence”. Lipids 45. 10 (2010): 893-905. Print.
Scott, Paul. “ 5 Fishy Food Claims”. Men’s Health. August 2011. Web. Retrieved
Siri-Tarino, Patty W., Qi Sun, Hu, Frank B. and Ronald M. Krauss. “ Meta-analysis of
prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with
cardiovascular disease”. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 91. 3 (2010): 535-
46. Print.