Next time you reach for that chip, arm yourself with some antioxidants, too

IT'S national cholesterol month - and with millions of Australian adults being prescribed statins, this is a health issue that will affect most of us at some time of our life, particularly as we get older. 

After years of advice that was based on flawed science, it turns out that fats naturally found in our diet, such as eggs and milk, aren't quite the bad guys they were painted to be. Trans fats, found in highly processed food, and man-made fats (such as margarine) are in fact the real disease-drivers that wreak the damage in our arteries. 

Incredibly, man-made fats were created to be 'healthier' were actually WORSE for national health. These and super-heated oils commonly used in fast food restaurants, are now thought to be the main perpetrators of heart disease.

The Western diet contains 50 times the amount of harmful oils than is needed for good health.

Good fats (high-density lipids ‘HDL’ cholesterol) aren’t the problem - the undisputed enemy is the low-density fats – ‘lipids’ (LDL) that become highly corrupted, ‘oxidise’ and destroy the lining of blood vessels, which leads to the hardening of the arteries.The body actually needs cholesterol for critical processes in the body, it’s essential to brain function and the millions of cellular interactions that take place for processes such as generating vitamin D.

When combined with chronic inflammation in the body, you get a ‘perfect storm’ of damaging processes that lead to, among other things, hardening of the arteries, degenerative brain and cardiovascular disorders.

That’s where antioxidants from the diet - and particularly berries – may be important for protecting against these actions.

Antioxidants are thought to help prevent LDL cholesterol oxidation and boost the protective capacity of ‘good’ cholesterol, as well as inhibiting inflammation. 

Regular antioxidants in our diet help keep our arteries clear and the wall linings performing their array of actions. Importantly though, by reducing plaque build-up in the linings of our vasculature, will lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

References

1. Anthocyanin supplementation improves serum LDL- and HDL-cholesterol concentrations associated with the inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein in dyslipidemic subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 Sep;90(3):485-92. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.2009.27814. Epub 2009 Jul 29.
2. Favorable effects of berry consumption on platelet function, blood pressure, and HDL cholesterol. Am J Clin Nutr.2008 Feb;87(2):323-31.
3. Purified Anthocyanin Supplementation Improves Endothelial Function via NO-cGMP activation in Hypercholesterolemic Individuals. CLINICAL CHEMISTRY 2011, 57 1524-1533.
   7. Consumption of polyphenolic-rich beverages (mostly pomegranate and blackcurrant juices) by healthy subjects for a short term increased serum antioxidant status, and the serum's ability to attenuate macrophage cholesterol accumulation FOOD FUNCT., 2010, 1, 99-109.
4. Supplementation with orange and blackcurrant juice, but not vitamin E, improves inflammatory markers in patients wih peripheral arterial disease.. BRITISH JOURNAL OF NUTRITION 2009, 101:263-269.