Question

Stanley is an Nurse. A 40 year old female client asks if reducing saturated fat can lower LDL cholesterol. Stanley checks Pubmed and finds one case report about an 80 year old man whose cholesterol went up after restricting his saturated fat to <5% of his diet. He advises his client that research does not support decreasing saturated fat to lower LDL cholesterol. Is Stanley correctly using his evidence based resources explain why or why not? (5 points)

Answer 1

Stanley claims that cholesterol increase's when we restrict saturated fat. But this explanation is wrong.

When we reduce saturated fat in our diet, the cholesterol levels decreases very much.

Many studies say that:

1. Saturated fat is unhealthy and is a fat molecule which does not have double bond. It remains solid at room temperature. Studies show that eating saturated fats increase cholesterol which in turn increases heart attacks
2. Less consumption of saturated fats can reduce low density lipoprotein (L. D. L) cholesterol- which is the bad cholesterol. Saturated fats present in red meats are high in cholesterol. High level of LDL cholesterol can make patient at risk of heart disease.
3. Examples of saturated fats according to American Heart Association are:

• Fatty beef
• Lamb
• Pork
• Poultry with skin
• Butter
• Cheese

4. If a person needs 2000 calories per day, then his saturated fat intake per day should not be more than 120, that is , not more than 13 grams of saturated fat.
5. Replace saturated fats by using more fruits, vegetables, low fat diary products etc.