London, Thanasis Gavos

Daily consumption of croissants, cakes, cookies or other products with butter can “silently” increase the risk of heart disease, that is, even if one does not put on weight.

Researchers at the University of Oxford monitored the health of a group of volunteers who ate such products or other foods with a high concentration every day for 24 days saturated fatsuch as sausages and chocolate.

The number of calories consumed was measured, meaning the volunteers did not put on weight.

However, blood tests and an MRI after three and a half weeks showed “disturbing variations in non-visible markers of heart health”.

The level cholesterol increased by 10% on average and the fat in the liver by 20%, conditions that increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

A second group of volunteers who, during the same period, consumed a daily diet high in polyunsaturated fats, i.e. the “healthy” fats, such as from fatty fish, sunflower oil, walnuts and sesame, showed an improvement in the respective indicators.

Specifically, the level of “bad” cholesterol was reduced by 10% on average, and the heart muscle was measured to have a higher energy reserve due to the easier breakdown of polyunsaturated fats.

The study was presented at the European Society of Cardiology conference in London as evidence of how the type of fat consumed in a diet can affect the heart, regardless of the amount of calories in that diet.