Anti-atherogenic diet

The anti-atherogenic diet was originally created as a dietary system aimed at lowering cholesterol levels and preventing cardiovascular diseases. However, modern research has shown that such a diet not only does not reduce the risk of atherosclerosis but often provokes it.

Artificially restricting fats, especially saturated fats and cholesterol, disrupts hormonal balance, lipid metabolism, and liver function, ultimately leading to inflammatory processes in blood vessels, insulin resistance, and an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Key principles of the anti-atherogenic diet

This diet suggests:

• reducing the intake of saturated fats, including butter, meat, and fatty dairy products;
• replacing them with vegetable oils and products rich in omega-6 fatty acids;
• increasing the proportion of carbohydrates, especially whole grains, fruits, and legumes;
• excluding cholesterol from the diet;
• limiting animal protein and shifting to a predominantly plant-based diet.

Why the anti-atherogenic diet often leads to the opposite effect

• a deficiency of saturated fats leads to a decrease in the level of beneficial cholesterol (HDL), disrupting the balance of lipid metabolism;
• an excess of vegetable oils rich in omega-6 enhances inflammation and oxidation of lipoproteins, accelerating the formation of atherosclerotic plaques;
• a lack of cholesterol disrupts the synthesis of sex hormones, vitamin D, bile acids, and cortisol;
• increased carbohydrate intake raises insulin and triglyceride levels, leading to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome;
• a deficiency of fats worsens the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K, which accelerates the aging of blood vessels and tissues.

Scientific data against the “fat-free” approach

Numerous studies over the past decades have shown that dietary cholesterol levels are virtually unrelated to the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Moreover, countries that traditionally consume animal fats—France, Japan, Iceland—demonstrate significantly lower rates of cardiovascular mortality.

The main danger does not come from cholesterol but from chronic inflammation caused by excess omega-6, sugar, and trans fats, which are prevalent in anti-atherogenic and “fat-free” diets.

What truly protects the heart and blood vessels

• sufficient intake of saturated fats (butter, eggs, meat, fish) balanced with omega-3;
• limiting vegetable oils (corn, sunflower, soybean);
• moderate amounts of high-quality animal proteins;
• reducing sugar and refined carbohydrate intake;
• providing the body with vitamins D, K2, magnesium, and antioxidants to protect the vascular wall.

Conclusion

The anti-atherogenic diet is an example of an outdated approach based on the erroneous “lipid hypothesis.” In reality, it is the restriction of fats and cholesterol that leads to hormonal disruptions, inflammation, and accelerated development of atherosclerosis. A healthy heart requires not the exclusion of fats but their proper balance and the elimination of inflammatory factors—excess sugar, omega-6, and trans fats.