July 12, 2017 – Simple Change

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Anchor lead: Can overcoming heart disease be as simple as changing fats? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Saturated fats, such as those in meats and butter, are bad for your heart, and you should substitute vegetable fats, especially extra virgin olive oil. That’s the substance of a recent “Presidential Advisory” issued by the American Heart Association. Seth Martin, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins, answers criticism that the statement is too simplistic.

Martin: I’m going to look at this as a glass that’s half full. I’m going to look at the guidance as quite useful. Yes, we need more evidence in diet, yes, to do high quality diet studies is very difficult.  I like this message for patient care, replacing  one type of fat with a type that appears to be healthier, what a simple message, and I think its important to talk about replacing, its really important to close the loop in terms of directing folks, well if you’re not going to have this  then what appears better, and that’s what they’ve done here.   :30

Martin acknowledges that the greatest impact is achieved when a comprehensive approach to lifestyle changes is taken, but says he welcomes this endorsement of starting small. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.