Skittles had it right with its encouraging slogan of “taste the rainbow.” Unfortunately, a diet of Skittles isn’t going to help ward off heart disease.

“Foods with bright colors are packed with the antioxidants that reduce the inflammation that leads to heart disease,” says Nicolette M. Pace, R.D., the founder of NutriSource Inc., which specializes in nutrition-based disease prevention and treatment. “Red and yellow have the carotenoids: Carrots, tomatoes, apricots and cantaloupes are all high sources. Red also has lycopene and lutein. The polyphenols in berries and grapes protect the arteries from free radical damage, too.”

The re-thinking of fats is significant news in heart disease prevention: What was bad is now thought of as good, or at least OK. For example, a bit of butter in your diet won’t be the end of the world, Pace says, but margarine and other processed substitutes should be used with caution: “Now, the thinking is that over-processed fat products can cause artery damage.”

Also OK? “Animal fats in moderation,” she says, which means you don’t have to put down the bacon entirely: “Bacon has been taken off the taboo list, but it’s a fat, not a protein, and should be used to flavor.” What Pace says to take off your list? Surprisingly, it’s turkey bacon, because it’s “a horrible processed product,” she says.

Even alcohol isn’t seen as such a demon anymore. “Wine has health benefits, and it’s not just the polyphenols, it’s the alcohol,” says Pace. “The benefit comes from moderate drinking. That’s not five drinks in one session, that’s five drinks in a week.”

Pace also advises adopting a whole food diet with natural fiber-rich foods such as whole grains and beans, which decrease coronary risks by controlling blood sugars and weight.

The foods to cut right now
Pace recommends re-evaluating fat, salt, sugar and calorie-laden snack foods: “Snack foods are generally low satiety. They’re usually the things we crave because of the salty or sweet flavor, or the crunch appeal. And they are usually the things that are easily and quickly consumed. Also, sweetened beverages, not just sodas, but the flavored coffees and the so-called healthy smoothies loaded with fat and high fructose corn syrup. Those are bad for the heart.”

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For ages, watching out for your heart meant monitoring cholesterol levels. Just when we get our heads around what cholesterol is and which type is allegedly good (HDL) and which is bad (LDL), there’s a new heart health buzzword: triglycerides. Triglycerides, like cholesterol, are water-soluble blood lipids. Simply: they’re a fat. When it comes to heart health, which is more important to watch, cholesterol or triglycerides?

“It’s complex,” says NYU cardiologist Dr. Herbert A. Insel, a member of the preventative health care institute EHE International’s medical advisory board. “We do look at triglyceride levels, they count, but when it comes to heart disease, cholesterol levels are the best indicator. LDL cholesterol is the major culprit. This is when plaque ruptures occur and cardiac arrest ensues.”

Like cholesterol, triglycerides have an important function: They’re used for energy. But too many triglycerides become the substance that sits on your hips. Hyperlipidemia refers to both too many triglycerides and/or too much cholesterol in the blood. Unchecked, hyperlipidemia leads to clogged blood vessels.

The direct relationship between triglycerides and cardiovascular problems is unclear, but diet and weight management are proven factors in preventing heart disease.

“High triglyceride levels may affect high levels of bad cholesterol, we don’t know,” says Dr. Insel. “We do know that the Mediterranean diet has been proven to be good for your heart. We don’t recommend a low-fat diet anymore, but we recommend healthy fats and no trans fats.”

Triglycerides are measured in the same way as cholesterol. A blood test determines levels and both can be checked at the same time. But numbers shouldn’t be your main focus — warding off the illness should be.

“Take responsibility in preventing heart disease,” Dr. Insel says. “Eat a healthy diet and exercise routinely.”

The causes
Besides excessive calories, causes of high triglyceride levels are still being researched.  Certain medications can raise triglycerides and hereditary predisposition is a possible factor.  The most common and controllable element is what you put into your body: “Drinking a lot of alcohol promotes triglycerides,” says Dr. Insel. “Being overweight is directly linked. Watch your sugar intake and eat whole grains.”

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“Over the past ten years there have been many studies that link how body fat is distributed to cardiovascular disease,” says Dr. Kathryn Britton, a cardiologist in Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Division of Cardiology. “But we don’t yet know the biology and mechanism. There are a lot of studies looking into whether or not there’s some cause as to why some people deposit fat in their middle and whether it’s directly linked to heart disease, or whether it’s a marker of other things associated with heart disease, such as high cholesterol.”

Though being overweight can add to heart problems, weight is not as directly linked to heart disease as belly fat.

“Two people who weigh the same might not have the fat distributed in the same places. How fat’s distributed is important,” insists Dr. Britton. “Certain people are more likely to deposit fat in the abdomen. We don’t know why yet. But we do know that decreasing weight generally will decrease belly fat as well.”

One school of thought is that some people have a genetic predisposition to gaining an apple-shaped abdomen as they age.

“There probably is some genetic component,” Dr. Britton adds. “The big genetic studies have shown genetic variants associated with laying down belly fat.” Still, Britton advises people to avoid shrugging belly fat off as hereditary and out of their control.

“Most medical conditions have genetic and environmental factors and it’s usually environmental that’s a richer contributor,” she says. “There are still so many ways to decrease your risk of heart disease. People should adopt a heart-healthy lifestyle by eating healthy food and exercising.”

Not so fast
Despite what pop-up ads tell you, as yet, there’s no proven magic pill to melt away belly fat, and liposuction doesn’t work for the kind that’s linked to cardiovascular problems: “It isn’t the fat that’s closest to the skin that’s the problem with heart disease,” Dr. Britton says. “The really dangerous fat is deeper, surrounding organs, and you can’t liposuction in that area.”

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