Dieting - not just for the elderly

Right from the title, "Sharing with the Elderly - Dieting Should Also Be Enjoyable" (published by Vietnam Women's Publishing House), author Vu The Thanh has "identified" the target audience of his new book as his "elderly friends" - those aged 60-70.

A view of the Health Science Roundtable discussion on the topic of Metabolic Diseases (Hyperlipidemia and Hyperlipidemia). Photo: Thuy Trang

Nevertheless, while reading books and attending the Health Science Roundtable discussion on the topic of Metabolic Diseases (Hyperlipidemia and Hyperlipidemia) recently held at the Vietnam Women's Publishing House branch, not only older readers but also younger readers encountered much useful, necessary, and easy-to-understand information related to health that each individual needs to understand and practice daily, not just when they get older.

Eating in harmony

According to information presented at the seminar, metabolic diseases such as hypertension and dyslipidemia are not only appearing in older adults but are also affecting younger people, especially in the context of unhealthy lifestyles among a segment of the population, such as: being overweight or obese, lack of exercise, smoking, drinking alcohol, consuming too much salt, and too much sugar…

Sharing his insights at the seminar, Dr. Tran Khiem Hung, lecturer in Physiology - Pathophysiology - Immunology at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, stated: High blood pressure and dyslipidemia often have no clear symptoms in the early stages, lacking specific and characteristic manifestations, and are only detected through blood tests. This "silence" leads many people to be complacent.

According to Dr. Tran Khiem Hung, fat is only one factor. Besides fat, other factors such as sugar and starch also contribute to increased blood fat levels. Therefore, everyone needs to eat a balanced and harmonious diet. A healthy person without any health problems can apply the "hand rule": the palm represents protein, the fist represents rice, the fingers represent fat, and both hands represent a plate of vegetables.

As an expert in food safety and quality management, and the author and co-author of numerous books related to health issues, author Vu The Thanh shared: "In the past, people thought that when they had high cholesterol, they should avoid foods high in cholesterol such as eggs and pig brains… This was a misconception for three decades. But now, science believes that 80% of blood cholesterol in the body is produced by the liver, and only 20% comes from food. Or, people believed that high blood lipids were due to eating too much fat, and saturated fats could increase cholesterol. Therefore, people advised limiting saturated fat intake if they had high cholesterol. However, current research suggests that while saturated fats, abundant in animal fats, have an influence and are related to high cholesterol, they are not the main cause. The main cause is carbohydrates such as potatoes, rice, corn, and bread… These are the primary culprits behind high blood lipids." In addition, sugar also poses a health risk.