recent research is making docs revise their prescription for a healthy ticker ahead of world heart day an update is butter good or bad do eight walnuts a day keep your heart ticking merrily should you be switching to a lowstress job if your cholesterol readings are in red medical theories have changed substantially in the last decade new studies have questioned previously held beliefs for instance the morning sair walk advised to every heart patient is no longer sufficient and statins the gold standard in treatment of cardiovascular diseases have come under a cloud after being linked to diabetes in some cases on the eve of world heart day toi spoke to cardiologists and patients to learn what according to new wisdom is good or bad for the heart the big fat surprise back in the 1970s being a patient of coronary artery disease cad meant a lifelong sanyas from red meat and other sources of animal fat while fats continue to be risky research ers from oxford cambridge and harvard have found that certain fats arent all that bad in march a metaanalysis of 72 studies published in annals of internal medi cine found that saturated fats from animal sources are not as harmful for the heart as transfats dr ashok seth director of cardiology at delhis fortis escorts hospital says it has been shown that saturated fats dont increase your cad risk as much as it was believed earlier having said that it is best to eat fats in moderation he adds so a dab of butter on toast or a spot of ghee on the dal shouldnt be a problem transfats however are believed to increase bad cholesterol or ldl and decrease good cholesterol or hdl this type of fat is found in fried and baked goodies made using partially hydrogenated oils transfats have become a villain only in recent years rasika raina a former un official with a family history of high cholesterol recalls how her grandfathers generation would freely eat fried potatoes and red meat in those days people thought healthy food meant cooking without too much spiceplus the concept of exercise was hardly there says raina who maintains her ldlhdl ratio by working out in the gym eating smaller portions and avoiding red meat statins costs vs benefits a study on more than 11 lakh patients taking statins published in online journal diabetes care this june established a link between prolonged statin therapy and onset of diabeteswhile this is true says dr seth the overall benefits of taking statins is greater than the risk of developing diabetes dr sanjay bhat senior intervention cardiologist at bangalores narayana multispecialty hospital says statins not only bring down cholesterol levels but also reduce inflammation of plaque and hence reduce your of heart attack however many patients are now exploring the option of doing without statins shivraj pershad a 40yearold communication consultant in delhi decided to correct his diet instead of taking drugs when he was recently diagnosed