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A steady diet of high-fat foods is a roadmap to cardiovascular calamity. But could just one super-sized, high-fat binge cause much damage to the heart and circulation?
In a study published in the April issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers at Columbia University evaluated the impact of a high-fat meal on the heart and circulation. After feeding 15 young healthy men a single high-fat meal, researchers tested its effect on the heart's ability to compensate for clogged arteries. When arteries supplying blood to the heart become clogged, surrounding blood vessels expand to compensate. The difference between normal blood flow and this increased compensating blood flow is referred to as coronary flow reserve.
The Columbia team found the coronary flow reserve decreased by 18 percent in the 15 men who five hours earlier had consumed a meal containing 100 grams of fat. The high-fat feast also raised triglyceride levels in the blood within hours of the meal. Previous studies have demonstrated that high levels of triglycerides can compromise heart function.
When the men were fed a low-fat meal with the same amount of calories, no changes were found in triglyceride levels or in coronary flow reserve.
If you wonder who could possibly consume 100 grams of fat at a single meal, consider that every day, millions of Americans regularly file into line to order a Burger King Whopper with Cheese, which packs a "whopping" 47 grams of fat. Get a side order of large fries, and you add another 25 grams of fat to the lunchtime meal.
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