Summer Barbecues Hurt the Heart

Summer time means a period of vacations, friendly get-togethers, parties and of course – backyard barbecues. At these parties and especially the barbecues, good etiquette means you should take second helpings and in general, try out everything on the menu. While it may sound good and even be fun, it can also be very harmful for your heart.

Earlier the only major risk associated with backyard grill parties used to be singed brows and watery eyes but with changing lifestyles, saturated fats in the form of steaks and burgers have become bigger dangers. Dietitian Sandy Schwenger feels summer has two aspects – on the one hand it means walking and biking and all those outdoor activities, on the other it also means eating that many extra calories.

"We can't let lifestyle take a holiday just because we're at a barbecue because... in summer, it's like one barbecue every three days," Schwenger said. Among the other foodstuffs normally part of barbecues, fatty faves like mayonnaise-laden salads, chips and ice creams are also high-caloric culprits. Effectively speaking almost all the food served at these backyard fests can lead to weight gain and high cholesterol.

This has been confirmed by blood tests and it shows clearly you're at cardiovascular risk from these fatty intakes. And the risk is not just for middle-aged men. “Young children are also being diagnosed with type-2 (adult) diabetes,” added Schwenger; “They're putting themselves at risk for cardiovascular disease much earlier than normal.”

Research has shown saturated fats found in almost every kind of meat get accumulated in the arteries and increase blood cholesterol. On the other hand good fat is transferred to the liver for reuse or removal from the body. But modern food has come up with a third kind of fat – transfat that plays a double whammy by increasing bad cholesterol and attacking the good one.

Certain studies have show red wine to be capable of increasing the levels of good cholesterol but so far, no magic food has been found that can help with lower the bad one. “You have to do something in order for it to happen,” said Schwenger. “Lifestyle change is the only way to lower cholesterol,” she felt.

The biggest risk factors adding to chances of cardiovascular disease in addition to fatty foods include sedentary lifestyle, obesity (especially abdominal) and family history. The answers to these lie in exercising and maintaining a healthy weight in addition to trying out soy-based burgers and salmon, which are rich in healthy polyunsaturated fat. Moderation and portion size are also important. “People don't know what moderation is anymore,” concluded Schwenger.

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