Saturated Fat = Bad. Or Does it?

Today, I thought I'd share an itty bitty article I published in the February/March edition of Healthy Directions Magazine.

Click HERE to read the entire magazine!



I've had a number of people asking about coconut oil recently, wondering how a saturated fat could possibly be healthy for us. We've been so conditioned to fear fat (saturated, especially) that I'm really going to have to ask you to be *open* to this article.

Read it. Think about it. Let me know what your thoughts are!



The Article:
Saturated Fat = BAD.

We have all been taught that saturated fat is responsible for the increasing incidence of heart disease, one of the biggest killers of both men and women today. It is a common understanding, a given, the zeitgeist of 20th century North America.

So, why am I questioning that belief now? Why would I ever challenge such a forceful nutritional precept?

Believe it or not, I’m not the first one to question the idea. In fact, I’m pretty slow on the uptake! There has been ample information available, for decades, showing that saturated fat is not to be feared. That it is, in fact, a necessary and (gasp!) beneficial component of the diet.

If that is the case, how have we become so misled?

Saturated fat comes from animals and tropical plants: meat, fish, dairy, eggs, palm oil and coconut oil.

Prior to the 20th century, food was prepared with saturated fats: butter, tallow, lard. In 1911, Proctor & Gamble began to market Crisco (the first trans-fat) as a healthier, plant derived alternative to animal fats. Before this, Crisco was used in candle and soap making. With the advent of electricity, candle sales dropped and P&G decided to try a new marketing angle. To improve sales they discredited the use of saturated fat.

In 1913, a researcher by the name of Ancel Keyes published The 6 Country Study that demonstrated a correlation between high cholesterol consumption and increased incidence of heart disease. He later published the 7 Country study, further supporting his findings. His study was preceded by research on rabbits fed high cholesterol diets. The Framingham Study followed. Both supported the hypothesis. We were hooked on the idea that increased cholesterol → increased atherosclerosis → increased coronary artery disease and increased rates of mortality (in other words, if we eat more cholesterol we are more likely to die). This is referred to as The Lipid Hypothesis.

Based on The Lipid Hypothesis, medical doctors began to recommend low-fat, high-carbohydrate diets for heart health.

Mary Enig is just one of the many reputable scientists who have been refuting the low fat-high carb theory of “healthy eating” since the 70s. She has argued that cholesterol does not cause coronary heart disease. She has shown on numerous occasions that there is no data, whatsoever, to support the idea that saturated fat is bad for us.

Case in point:

• The Study on Rabbits fed high cholesterol was bogus. Rabbits are herbivoires. We are not. Cholesterol may clog the artery of a rabbit but it does not clog the arteries of omnivores.

• The 6 Country Study, omitted data from 16 other countries that would have complicated Keyes’ results. Has he included the data from all 22 countries studied, Keyes would NOT have been able to create a direct correlation between cholesterol consumption and rate of heart disease. In fact, the countries with the highest dietary saturated fat consumption had the lowest incidence of heart disease. Interesting.

• The 30 year follow-up of The Framingham study found that there was no direct link between high or low cholesterol and the incidence of heart disease. In fact, the data showed that for every 1% mg/dcL decrease in cholesterol levels per year there was an 11% increase in the risk of developing heart disease. Super Interesting.

Saturated fat is necessary for the health of cell membranes, the regulation of hormones, the protection of the liver, lungs, and optimal functioning of the immune system. Time and time again, the increase risk of chronic disease in our society has been linked, not to a high consumption of fat, but to the increased consumption of processed foods, vegetable oils and carbohydrates (sugar, bread, pasta and even whole grains!). Cholesterol is not the problem. Cholesterol is our physiology’s last attempt to make repairs when it has consistently been exposed to a diet that increases inflammation and tissue damage in the body.

99% of our evolutionary history has been spent eating a diet of meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and berries. It has only been since the age of agriculture (10,000 years ago) that carbohydrate consumption increased and fats were reduced/eliminated. In that tiny period of time, we have become more obese and more prone to chronic illness such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Our DNA has not had the opportunity to catch-up with our new way of eating. We need to return to our Hunter-Gatherer Diet (also called The Paleo Diet or The Primal Blueprint) if we are to change the health trends affecting our country.

I’m not suggesting that vegetarians/vegans are delusional. There remain a number of reasons (particularly ethical, environmental and economical) to reduce animal consumption. As a naturopath and environmentalist, I understand the issues with meat farming and consumption.

I am also not suggesting that bacon and processed meat becomes the mainstay of the Canadian diet. Not all saturated fats are created equal, nor are all meats.....

Nevertheless, we cannot deny the facts. We are omnivores by design. Our genomes prefer a diet higher in animal foods and fat and low in carbohydrate. We have been fed the wrong information for too many years. Incorrect medical dogma continues to encourage a diet that is causing waistlines to grow, heart disease to increase, and the overall health of the population to decline.

Feel unsure? I challenge you to follow the Primal Blueprint/Paleo Diet for one month. See how you feel. See how it changes your views on food and health. Do some reading. You can decide for yourself!

Now, don’t get me started on poor old salt…….


Also, from another fellow fat lover......
Healthy Fellow Blog:

"One example that strengthens my hope for the future of medicine is published in the March 2010 edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. There, two papers address the controversial issue of saturated fat and cardiovascular disease. The ultimate conclusion of the piece is that there may be some benefit to substituting polyunsaturated fats for saturated fat, but it’s foolhardy to reduce saturated fat and replace it with dietary carbohydrates. The final sentence of the summary states that natural interventions that hope to reduce “atherogenic dyslipidemia should primarily emphasize the limitation of refined carbohydrate intakes”. A separate analysis of 347,747 men and women by the same team of researchers revealed that saturated fat consumption was not associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease or stroke".