A great proportion of these fats in the blood is combined with proteins, called lipoproteins, which also have been the subject of research by many investigators. Scientists have only recently discovered by new tools of investigation that in these lipoproteins two separate portions can be measured: the alpha and the beta lipoproteins. The first have been shown to be protective against the development of atherosclerosis. They are found predominating in infants, children, and young women who have no evidence of atherosclerosis. On the other hand, the beta-lipoproteins have been found universally in excessive amounts in most cases of active atherosclerosis and so are called atherosclerosis producers or "ather-ogenic." The protective alpha-lipoproteins are spoken of as "anti-atherogenic." The problem of preventing atherosclerosis and its human ravages is the search for ways of increasing the protective alpha-lipoproteins. Chapter 5 discusses lecithin and other nutritional supplements and shows how to use these protective substances against the development of atherosclerosis. One of the greatest factors influential in the current epidemic of heart attacks has unquestionably been the startling increase in fat intake. In the United States alone, the fat content of our diet has just about doubled in recent times. Where fat formerly constituted some 15 to 20 per cent of our meals 50 years ago, it now has jumped to 30 and 40 per cent or more.
Fat may be your "poison".
Many individuals have now developed an intolerance to fat. Some of my patients can't seem to handle any fat at all. As an example, one plump 40-year old mother of three develops severe gas and bloating after eggs or any other fatty food. Mrs. R. is often embarrassed to dine out for fear of overflowing right out of her girdle if friends supply her with a fatty food at their homes. At other times she has been embarrassed by solicitious friends who have delightedly congratulated her upon her "unexpected" and "surprise" pregnancy after eating some fat food! Other patients of mine develop actual attacks of gallstone colic following a meal containing fat. Some 20 years ago, I studied the causes and effects of gallstones in humans by passing rubber tubes through the mouth and down into the digestive tract and then draining off the bile or gall manufactured by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. At that time I examined and found the cholesterol and fat content of the bile abnormally high in most patients who suffered from gallstones, liver, and gall bladder diseases. A fat-free diet was able to eventually reduce and restore the bile to its normal cholesterol and fat content, not to mention the well established fact that most patients felt vastly improved and often free of pain or distress. Of especial interest to me is the case of a 46-year old automobile dealer, Mr. C, who used to have disabling and terrifying attacks of pain over his heart. (We call such pain angina pectoris.) The pains began only after he had eaten breakfast and was preparing to leave for his business. His breakfast was a hearty one. It consisted of bacon and two scrambled eggs, fruit juice, some delicious coffee cake with two pats of butter, plus two cups of coffee containing generous portions of cream. He was a husky, strapping ex-athlete and burned up a great deal of energy in business activities.
When Mr. C. changed his breakfast habits and ate a good breakfast on the low-fat diet (as explained and described in later chapters) his anginal pain stopped as if by magic. Clearly he was one of the many individuals whose circulation could not tolerate fats. This was again just recently shown in most convincing and dramatic ways by Doctors Peter Kuo and H. Joyner of the University of Pennsylvania Hospital and Medical School. These investigators studied the effects of fat meals in a series of heart cases and others afflicted with atherosclerosis over a several year period. One group of their patients suffered severe heart attacks every time a fat meal was administered to them. Studies of the heart and the blood were made during actual heart attacks by Electrocardiographs and other scientific instruments. It was found that when the blood stream contained its peak load of fat content, the heart attacks were most severe and threatened the very life of the patients. Such striking studies and findings were also the experience of other research physicians.
How much fat are you stowing away? Look at the following sample daily menus for fat content that the average American consumes, as taken from the front page of the New York World Telegram.
| Breakfast: | Fat Content | Calories |
|---|
| One-half grapefruit | | 70 |
| Two eggs | 12 grams | 50 |
| Two slices of bread | | 130 |
| Two pats of butter | 12 grams | 120 |
One cup of coffee with 1/2 tablespoonful of
cream and two teaspoons sugar | 3 grams | 100 |
| Lunch: | Fat Content | Calories |
|---|
| Boiled ham, 2 slices | 20 grams | 200 |
| Two slices of bread | | 130 |
| Two pats of butter | 12 grams | 120 |
| Lettuce and tomato | | 30 |
| Mayonnaise, 2 teaspoonsful | 6 grams | 60 |
| Cup of coffee with cream and sugar | 3 grams | 100 |
| Danish bun, prune filled | 8 grams | 150 |
| Dinner: | Fat Content | Calories |
|---|
| Melon slice | | 20 |
| Steak or beef with gravy, 4 ounces | 40 grams | 500 |
| Potato and peas, or salad | | 100 |
| Two pats of butter (or oil dressings) | 12 grams | 120 |
| Cup of coffee with cream and sugar | 3 grams | 100 |
| Ice cream | 12 grams | 250 |
| Cherry pie | 12 grams | 350 |
| Total fat for the day | 155 grams |
|---|
| Total cholesterol | 800 milligrams. |
| Total calories for the day | 2800 |
| Total calories in fat | 1400 |
How much fat can you really live with? In contrast, compare the sample menu used on the low-fat diet:
| Meal Plan | Sample Menu | Fat Content | Calories |
|---|
| Breakfast: | | | |
| Fruit juice | Orange Juice | | 80 |
| Cereal | Shredded wheat | | 100 |
| Skimmed milk | Skimmed milk | | 65 |
| Bread | Whole wheat toast | | 65 |
| Coffee, tea, Postum | | | - |
| Sugar | | | 15 |
| Meal Plan | Sample Menu | Fat Content | Calories |
|---|
| Noon Meal: | | | |
| Soup | Skimmed milk pea soup | | 50 |
| Meat or cheese | Cold roast lamb | 10 grams | 300 |
| Vegetables | String beans | | 50 |
| Salad | Sliced tomato | | 20 |
| Fruit or dessert | Canned pineapple | | 100 |
| Bread | Whole wheat bread | | 65 |
| Milk | Skimmed milk | | 65 |
| Meal Plan | Sample Menu | Fat Content | Calories |
|---|
| Evening Meal: | | | |
| Fruit Cocktail | Grapefruit cocktail | | 50 |
| Meat and Potato | Lean meats + Baked potato | 10 grams | 250+100 |
| Vegetables | Banana squash + Asparagus | | 25+20 |
| Salad and dressing | Fresh pear salad + Boiled dressing | 0+5 grams | 25+50 |
| Dessert | Lemon ice | | 200 |
| Bread | Whole wheat bread | | 65 |
| Milk | Skimmed milk | | 65 |
| Total fat for the day | 25 grams |
|---|
| Total cholesterol | 75 milligrams. |
| Total calories for the day | 1800 |
| Total calories in fat | 225 |
