| | APRIL 20199Consultants ReviewIntake of DF through foods such as nuts, whole-grain flour, fruits, and vegetables decreases LDL ­ cholesterol, improves insulin sensitivity, improves laxative properties and body weight regulationrefi ned carbohydrates and its products.Intake of dietary fi ber (DF) through foods such as nuts, whole-grain fl our, fruits, and vegetables decreases low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, improves insulin sensitivity, improves laxative properties and body weight regulation. There is consistent and strong data for the protection aff orded by high fi ber intake of greater than 25 grams per day against cardiac disease, obesity, diabe-tes and cancer of colon and rectum. Diff erent processing methods like milling of grain to yield refi ned fl our, canning of fruits, and vegetables cur-tail the supply of fi ber from the diet. There is another challenge in current Indian diet, i.e., the average fi ber con-tent in all the vegetables and fruits we consume are only around three grams per 100 grams. So, there is a need to incorporate seeds and whole grains along with vegetables and fruits in our daily diet to meet the fi ber requirement. Foods high in fi ber include Salvia seeds, Flax seeds, oat bran, oatmeal, beans, peas, rice bran, barley, citrus fruits, strawberries, and apple pulp.Dietary fat includes both unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. The unsaturated fat is Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Monounsaturated fats are found in red meat, whole milk products, nuts, olives and avocados. Olive oil is about 75 percent monounsaturated fat. The Polyunsaturated fatty acids are Omega 3 & Omega 6 fatty acids. The Omega 6 fatty acids are abundantly present in various food sourc-es like sunfl ower oil, saffl ower oil and corn oil. The three types of Omega 3 fatty acids are Alpha linolenic acid (ALA), found in plant, and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), both commonly found in marine algae and fi sh. Humans cannot synthesize ALA, so it is imperative to take plant sources rich in ALA (Ome-ga 3 fatty acids). The daily requirement of ALA is more than two grams per day. The imbalance in dietary Omega 6 & Omega 3 PUFA is an important cause for the devel-opment of insulin resistance and dyslipidemia in Indians. The current Indian Diet has 20:1 Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio, where the ideal is 5:1. The Omega 3 fatty acids have an anti-infl ammatory eff ect, while Omega 6 fatty acids have infl ammatory eff ects. A high proportion of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fat in the diet shifts the physiological state in the tissues toward the pathogenesis of many diseases: prothrombotic, proinfl ammatory and proconstrictive. The substitution of unsaturated fatty acids for saturated fatty acids lead to decreased LDL-C levels.Partially hydrogenated oils have been used in food for increasing product shelf life. Animal-based fats were once the only trans fats consumed, but by far the larg-est amount of trans fat consumed today is created by the processed food industry as a side eff ect of partially hydro-genating unsaturated plant fats (generally vegetable oils). These partially hydrogenated fats have displaced natural solid fats and liquid oils in fast food, snack food, fried food, and baked goods industries. Trans fatty acids are not essential and provide no known benefi t to human health, whether of animal or plant origin. Second, while both saturated and trans fats increase levels of LDL, trans fats also lower levels of HDL, thus increasing the risk of coronary artery disease along with obesity, diabetes, infertility, cancer, major depressive disorders and Alzheimer disease. To conclude, the dietary modifi cations with high fi ber intake, avoiding refi ned carbohydrates, consuming more dietary fi ber in form of seeds, whole grain and fruits along with high intake of plant-based Omega 3 fatty acids along with minerals, vita-mins and antioxidants will have a huge impact in decreas-ing cardio metabolic disease.
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