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One High-Fat Meal Can Affect HDL

Posted on: Tuesday, 8 August 2006, 12:00 CDT

One high-fat meal can affect the body's good cholesterol to protect against inflammatory agents linked to heart attack, an Australian study finds.

Researchers at the Heart Research Institute in Sydney find that a highly saturated fat meal can reduce the ability of the body's good cholesterol, or high-density lipoproteins -- HDL -- to protect the inner lining of the arteries from inflammatory agents that promote the formation of artery-clogging plaques linked to heart attack and stroke.

The researchers also find that a single meal high in saturated fat can also affect the ability of the arteries to expand in order to carry adequate blood to tissues and organs.

However, the researchers say eating a meal high in polyunsaturated fat can increase the anti-inflammatory properties of HDL, helping to protect the inner lining of the arteries from plaque buildup.

The take-home, public-health message is this: It's further evidence to support the need to aggressively reduce the amount of saturated fat consumed in the diet, said researcher Stephen J. Nicholls, now a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

The findings are published in next Tuesday's Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Source: United Press International

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