The danger of a fatty meal

King Henry VIII is renown for having had six wives, two of whom he executed. But he also is an infamous glutton.

He expanded the kitchens at Hampton Court Palace to 55 rooms, had over 200 people on his kitchen staff, and offered guests meals with up to 14 courses.

While you’re probably no King Henry, chances are you like to have a rich meal now and then. The problem is that even one high-fat meal can guillotine yesterday’s — and tomorrow’s — best intentions.

When an international team of researchers gave a small group of men the amount of palm oil that’s equivalent to what would be found in a fatty meal, the guys’ health immediately took a turn for the worse:

Their insulin sensitivity went down by 25 percent (this increases the risk for diabetes and promotes weight gain).

Triglyceride levels skyrocketed by 35 percent.

There were measurable increases in blood levels of glucagon, a hormone that boosts glucose levels.

Keep eating high-fat meals and you’re at risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which can lead to inflammation, trigger irreversible scarring of the liver (cirrhosis) and clog hardened arteries.

Unfortunately, almost half of the everyday foods most Americans eat contain tropical oils like coconut and/or palm oil!

No wonder lousy LDL cholesterol levels are elevated for 73.5 million U.S. adults, doubling their risk for heart disease. So read all ingredient labels and dodge bad-for-you saturated and trans fats. GET USE OF YOUR GYM

Researchers followed over 400 people for five months; half belonged to a gym, and half didn’t.

Tracking study participants’ health measures, such as blood pressure and heart rate, and having them answer questions about their activities produced striking data.

Gym members worked out an average of 484 minutes a week! That was compared with 137 minutes for non-gym rats. And the gym members were 14 times more likely to meet weekly physical activity guidelines!

What’s more, people who had a membership for more than a year had better heart and lung health and smaller waist circumferences.

So if you don’t belong to a gym, consider the investment: There are many gym choices these days with very low membership fees.

And enlist a workout buddy, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, and you’ll both get more exercise when you have mutual support. Email questions for Mehmet Oz and Mike Roizen to youdocsdaily@sharecare.com.