Macronutrient Assignment Essay Sample

1. In class, we learned that high intake of saturated fats and cholesterol can increase our risk of cardiovascular disease. What is this article stating may be a larger risk of cardiovascular disease and what support do they have for this information? Discuss in full sentences.
Ans. 1. According to this article consumption of carbohydrates that tend to get digested easily and absorbed readily in the body have a greater risk of causing cardiovascular disease (CVD) than consumption of a diet rich in saturated fat. These “simple” carbohydrates belong to food group with a high glycemic index, such as sugary soda, bread and pasta made with white flour. There are two studies cited in the article to support this theory. The first study was published in New England journal of Medicine in 2008 coauthored by Dr. Meir Stampfrer. In this study it was observed that people who ate a low-carb diet with no restriction on saturated fat consumption had the healthiest ratio of HDL (good) to LDL (bad) cholesterol as compared to people who either ate a Mediterranean diet or a low fat calorie restrictive diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Another study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology by using data obtained from 15,000 Dutch women demonstrated that women who were overweight and consumed meals with high glycemic index had a 79% greater likelihood of developing CVD than overweight women who ate food with lowest glycemic index load.
The mechanism behind this observation is that a carbohydrate rich, high glycemic index providing diet causes stimulation of fat production, inflammation, increase in number of total calories consumed and lowering of sensitivity to insulin.
2. Robert C. Post, deputy director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion is quoted in the article as saying: “The sugared beverage industry is lobbying very hard and trying to cast doubt on all these studies.” What is your opinion on this topic? How do you feel about the idea of lobbyists affecting the nutrition messages citizens obtain from the government? Discuss in full sentences.
Ans.2 I do not agree with Dr. Stampfer when he says that lobbyists from beverage industry are working to negate some of his and other scientists’ findings. The lobby groups might downplay the findings from the studies or use whatever research they can find to demonstrate the harmful effects of food groups other than sugar and carbohydrate. The best candidate for this propaganda is “saturated fat”. For the longest time it was argued that eating low fat and fat-free food was the gold standard for weight loss and healthy living. The beverage industry, I believe, has some role in supporting and encouraging the idea behind a lifestyle that involves low fat diet or fat free diet. The role of the lobbyist is to serve the interest of the industry they are representing. More than the role of lobbyists, I find the role of policymakers from the government who get swayed by the efforts of lobbyists morally questionable and wrong. Finally, I believe that every individual has to take responsibility in making changes to their diet and lifestyle to improve their overall health and wellbeing.
3. Think about your risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes (list any risk factors you may have). Based on this information, are you concerned about your risk? Why or why not? Be detailed. Explain some dietary changes of carbohydrates, fat and proteins you could make to decrease your risk.
Ans.3 I do worry about my likelihood of getting diagnosed with diabetes and cardiovascular disease. I have some risk factors associated with both diseases. I am overweight with a greater than healthy BMI. I do not always eat healthy food. I am guilty of eating fast food and consuming sugary drinks. I also have family history of type 2 diabetes. My Mom and her siblings were diagnosed with type 2 in their early forties. Finally, I do not exercise as often as I should. At this point I have a healthy blood pressure and blood glucose level. However, after discussion in this and other classes I have realized that both diabetes and CVD are chronic conditions that develop over a prolonged period of time. Consumption of cola and starchy food is probably slowly making my cells resistant to insulin and/or causing inflammation.
I cannot change the risk factor associated with my family history. However, I can make a conscious effort to eat healthy and exercise more. I recently started walking everywhere. With regard to making alteration to my diet, these are some of the changes I plan to make.
I plan to buy whole wheat pasta and bread from now onwards. I will try to snack on almonds, carrots and apples to take care of mid-day hunger. I will make sure I eat a healthy breakfast consisting of yoghurt, oatmeal and fruit. I will try to buy lean chicken and turkey as much as possible (when on sale). However, according to this study I could still eat beef. Another culprit not mentioned in the article is sodium, which increases risk for hypertension and CVD. I started looking at food labels a bit more carefully and realized that some of the so called healthy food items (low carb and low fat) are loaded with sodium.