Diet for a healthy heart

Lan during the talk

The Centre for Extension Education and Centre for Cancer Research co-organised a talk titled “Diet for a healthy heart” on 14 March 2018 at the Sungai Long Campus.

Lan Yen Min, the speaker, is a lecturer from the Department of Chinese Medicine under the Faculty of Medicine and Health Science. Her talk focused on common heart diseases caused by hyperlipidemia and high cholesterol level, as well as the relationship between diet and cholesterol.

She said, “Cholesterol level is often related to the health of the human heart. There are three types of fats in the human body, namely subcutaneous fat, visceral fat and blood lipid. Subcutaneous fat is the fatty substance that lies under the skin and might not be harmful to our health. Meanwhile, visceral fat, also known as the abdominal fat is a type of hazardous fat that lies around our organs due to risk factors such as high levels of blood pressure and cholesterol.”

“Cholesterol travels in the bloodstream in two forms named Low Density Lipoproteins (LDLs) and High Density Lipoproteins (HDLs). The LDLs are referred to as the bad cholesterol that travels through the bloodstream; while the HDLs are the good cholesterol that travels to the other parts of the body. High level of fat in blood is harmful to the body particularly the heart as it increases the risk of having heart-related diseases,” Lan explained.

In her talk, Lan recommended coconut oil and olive oil as two of the best oils for daily consumption. She added, “Animal fats are also good and natural fats for the human body as compared to plant oil, and hydrogenated oil or commonly known as trans-fat. It is necessary to avoid hydrogenated oil as it is a type of processed oil which increases LDLs. This type of oil is commonly used in food such as margarine, fried food, baked food and packaged snacks.”

Lan advised, “One of the most important keys to having a healthy heart is to develop healthy and balanced eating habits. It is crucial to keep a diversified and well-balanced menu. The basic rule is to eat more natural and fresh food, and minimise the intake of carbohydrate and processed food. We should also drink more water instead of flavoured or sugary drinks.”