Taken every day, in a context of sedentary lifestyle and unbalanced diet, it is harmful to cardiovascular health.
It often fills the morning tables. Its smell of melted butter evokes sweetness and comfort. However, according to several specialists, this daily pleasure could have a less appetizing side. Because behind its melting texture often hide saturated fats and sometimes trans fatty acids, the worst fats for the heart. These fats increase the level of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and promote the formation of atherosclerotic plaques which gradually block the arteries. This process called “atherosclerosis” is the cause of serious pathologies such as myocardial infarction or stroke.
The danger doesn’t stop there. This food also contains fast sugars and refined flours, which increase blood sugar levels and promote weight gain. In the long term, this increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, another enemy of the heart and arteries. Taken every day, in a context of sedentary lifestyle and unbalanced diet, it can therefore harm cardiovascular health.
The famous food bad for the arteries? The crescent. Or – in the same family of pastries: pain au chocolat, pain aux raisins or even apple turnover. “Pastries are not an example of a healthy food: they are rich in butter, sugar and often very high in calories” confirms Dr Jean-Michel Lecerf, nutritionist doctor. Let’s reassure those with a sweet tooth; a pastry alone will not suddenly block the arteries. But, many in the long term as part of a poor lifestyle, if: “It should be consumed in large quantities, on a regular basis, in a generally unbalanced dietary context, combined with other risk factors such as a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight, excess salt or sugar, a deficiency in fruits, vegetables and omega-3, or even a genetic predisposition” specifies the nutritionist.
Atherosclerosis, he further specifies, is a complex, multifactorial disease. “Rather than demonizing a particular food, we must emphasize the importance of a balanced diet: vary foods, ensure nutritional quality and control quantities. If a single food were enough to cause an illness, it would have been banned a long time ago” he concludes. In other words, there’s no point drawing a definitive line on the Sunday morning croissant: it’s the excess, not the occasional bite, that’s really the problem.
Thanks to Dr Jean-Michel Lecerf, nutritionist, specialist in endocrinology and metabolic diseases, and former head of the Nutrition & Physical Activity Department at the Institut Pasteur de Lille (IPL). He is author of the book 40 misconceptions about the diet (Ed. Quae)
