Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

How common are these trans fats in supermarket foods?  These hydrogenated fats are so favored by the prepared food industry that they have made their way into French fries (one of the richest sources of trans fats), other fried foods, breads and other baked goods, savory snacks, and many convenience and processed foods like potato chips, com and other chips, cookies, and crackers. For years they have slipped into our foods, and it was once thought that they were as good as the unsaturated fats from which they were originally made. A large study recently suggested that limiting consumption of trans fatty acids would be more helpful in preventing heart attacks than simply limiting overall fat intake or even saturated fat intake. It is a challenge to find ready to eat products without these fats added to them. Begin by avoiding foods that list “partially hydrogenated” oil or fat on the label. Margarine manufacturers are aware of this problem, so the old margarines that were based ...

I know I must cut down on saturated fats, but what about cholesterol in foods?  Cholesterol has many roles in human health. For example, some hormones and bile acids are synthesized from cholesterol, and cholesterol is part of the cell wall. But your body makes all the cholesterol you need, so you do not need to get more from foods. Up to a point, cholesterol from foods does not alter your blood cholesterol, but above a certain level, in most people, it raises blood cholesterol. A few people can eat more, with no damage, but if you have heart disease, you must be extra careful. Where is cholesterol found? Cholesterol is found only in animal foods, and most often it is dissolved in the fat part of the food. If you decrease the amount of animal fat you eat, you decrease your cholesterol intake as well. As you know, two of the richest sources of cholesterol in foods are egg yolks (egg whites have no cholesterol) and liver (cholesterol is synthesized in the liver). You can eat ...