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The Questionable Link Between Saturated Fat and Heart Disease
Wall Street Journal ^ | 05/02/2014 | Nina Teicholz

Posted on 05/04/2014 12:04:14 PM PDT by Rusty0604

"Saturated fat does not cause heart disease"—or so concluded a big study published in March in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. How could this be? The very cornerstone of dietary advice for generations has been that the saturated fats in butter, cheese and red meat should be avoided because they clog our arteries.

The new study's conclusion shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with modern nutritional science, however. The fact is, there has never been solid evidence for the idea that these fats cause disease. We only believe this to be the case because nutrition policy has been derailed over the past half-century by a mixture of personal ambition, bad science, politics and bias.

One consequence is that in cutting back on fats, we are now eating a lot more carbohydrates— ...Excessive carbohydrates lead not only to obesity but also, over time, to Type 2 diabetes and, very likely, heart disease.

The real surprise is that, according to the best science to date, people put themselves at higher risk for these conditions no matter what kind of carbohydrates... Yes, even unrefined carbs.

The second big unintended consequence of our shift away from animal fats is that we're now consuming more vegetable oils...All of these got a boost from the American Heart Association—which Procter & Gamble, the maker of Crisco oil, coincidentally helped launch as a national organization...but it brought many potential health problems in its wake.

Seeing the U.S. population grow sicker and fatter while adhering to official dietary guidelines has put nutrition authorities in an awkward position. Recently, the response of many researchers has been to blame "Big Food" ... but it is also fair to say that the food industry has simply been responding to the dietary guidelines issued by the AHA and USDA, which have encouraged high-carbohydrate diets...

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Health/Medicine; Science
KEYWORDS: diet; health; heartdisease; saturatedfat
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To: SampleMan
I’ve lost 23 pounds in total weight the last 70 days.

How much did you lose in tare weight and net weight?

101 posted on 05/04/2014 3:05:31 PM PDT by steve86 (Acerbic by nature not nurture)
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To: ExTexasRedhead
Prescription medications with their numerous side effects don’t do jack for you either.

lol Except keep us alive in certain cases, or free from or lessened pain, suffering, chronic discomfort, loss of function, disease-caused deterioration, disfigurement, psychiatric issues, et. al.

102 posted on 05/04/2014 3:12:07 PM PDT by steve86 (Acerbic by nature not nurture)
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To: ExTexasRedhead
Prescription medications with their numerous side effects don’t do jack for you either.

lol Except keep us alive in certain cases, or free from or lessened pain, suffering, chronic discomfort, loss of function, disease-caused deterioration, disfigurement, psychiatric issues, et. al.

103 posted on 05/04/2014 3:12:07 PM PDT by steve86 (Acerbic by nature not nurture)
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To: max americana

If I ever have to give up sugar and milk in my coffee......... I’ll just give up coffee.


104 posted on 05/04/2014 3:15:24 PM PDT by Ditter
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To: 9YearLurker

Sorry, misunderstood. Thought you were claiming processed foods were the traditional ones!

Grains and high concentrations of carbs were by definition only an occasional food before agriculture.


105 posted on 05/04/2014 3:23:27 PM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: steve86

I’ve lost 23 in net wt


106 posted on 05/04/2014 3:34:03 PM PDT by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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To: Sherman Logan

Sorry, I actually did mean that in the sense that they were traditional for a few decades in the US before the back-to-whole-grains movement kicked in.


107 posted on 05/04/2014 3:43:07 PM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: Rusty0604

“Unfortunately, my daughters and daughter-in-laws follow gov’t regulations to a point that I worry about my grandkids.”

I’m a grandparent too. Stop worrying about the grandkids or you’ll drive yourself nuts. :-)

.


108 posted on 05/04/2014 3:44:19 PM PDT by Mears
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To: berdie

berdie


109 posted on 05/04/2014 4:12:02 PM PDT by berdie
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To: zot; Interesting Times; Alamo-Girl; SeraphimApprentice; NYer

the most interesting point is the possibility of the Mediterranean diet theory being based upon an erroneous sample:

“The study’s star subjects—upon whom much of our current understanding of the Mediterranean diet is based—were peasants from Crete, islanders who tilled their fields well into old age and who appeared to eat very little meat or cheese.”

“As it turns out, Dr. Keys visited Crete during an unrepresentative period of extreme hardship after World War II. Furthermore, he made the mistake of measuring the islanders’ diet partly during Lent, when they were forgoing meat and cheese. Dr. Keys therefore undercounted their consumption of saturated fat. Also, due to problems with the surveys, he ended up relying on data from just a few dozen men....”


110 posted on 05/04/2014 4:12:34 PM PDT by GreyFriar ( Spearhead - 3rd Armored Division 75-78 & 83-87)
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To: Rusty0604

This one came with a set of Emeril cookware MrT5 gave me some years ago-it is easy and tasty...

2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups sourdough starter
3/4 teaspoon salt

Combine the flour, starter and salt, and knead until it no longer sticks to the sides or bottom of the mixing bowl.

Place in a lightly oiled bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let dough rise in a warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle lightly with flour and knead gently, removing any large air bubbles. Knead into a small circle, then shape into a tight ball, pinching the seams together underneath. Place on a well-floured board, seam-side down. Cover with a cloth and let rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven at 400 degrees F. With a sharp, serrated knife, cut a large “X” or cross-hatch pattern into the top of the dough.

Spray lightly with a mister and place on a heavy baking sheet lightly dusted with cornmeal and bake until golden brown and the bread sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom, about 60 minutes.

that recipe is for a round-a boulet-but I like to make 2 baguettes instead-divide the dough into 2 equal parts, form into rectangles about 12 in. long by 4 in. wide. Roll tightly lengthwise, seal edges and place sealed side down on the baking sheet with the cornmeal, then bake as per the recipe-only set the oven to 350, and check often-it will be ready in 35-40 minutes. Mucho gusto...

Basic Sourdough Starter:
3 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour

Mix ingredients in stoneware bowl and let sit covered with plastic wrap for 4-8 hours, until bubbly and fragrant.

Or, it is easier to go to the Robin Hood Flour website and get some starter in a jar...


111 posted on 05/04/2014 4:23:40 PM PDT by Texan5 ("You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line"...)
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To: 9YearLurker

There doesn’t appear to be any harm if the whole grains are eaten sparingly-I only bake in the winter, and the bread is a slice now and then treat, since I barter much of it for the fresh eggs, chicken and other meat I like more.


112 posted on 05/04/2014 4:27:52 PM PDT by Texan5 ("You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line"...)
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To: steve86

Drugs might work for you, and most/many others, but they do not work for everyone-they can be dangerous to those who are sensitive to the chemicals.


113 posted on 05/04/2014 4:31:46 PM PDT by Texan5 ("You've got to saddle up your boys, you've got to draw a hard line"...)
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To: catnipman

Thanks for the info and reply. I am getting rid of all high carb products in our kitchen as I type. Sugar, cake mixes, cookies, pasta, etc. Lipitor is a statin that my cardiologist prescribed. I took it for about a year before I started having leg cramps, feeling tired, panic attacks,and foggy headed. I did a little research on Lipitor and found many people had the same symptoms. Stopped taking it, and after two weeks, I felt like a new person. Going to be a struggle, but giving up those carbs beats lying in a casket. Thanks again.


114 posted on 05/04/2014 4:44:09 PM PDT by neal1960 (D m cr ts S ck. Would you like to buy a vowel?)
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To: Rusty0604

I’ll try to glean the important sentences. (My explanations are in parentheses.)

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are characterized by altered gut microbiota, inflammation, and gut barrier disruption.

(Fat contains what are called MAST cell clusters, that when irritated, generate inflammatory chemicals. These chemicals also contribute to weight gain. The more fat you have, the *more than proportional* number of MAST cell clusters you have in your fat.)

(The gut barrier is the cell wall of your intestines, and the layer of mucus that covers it. If it is thin and permeable, bad bacteria and their byproducts can more easily penetrate into your bloodstream.)

...Akkermansia muciniphila ... is a mucin-degrading bacterium that resides in the mucus layer. The presence of this bacterium inversely correlates with body weight in rodents and humans.

(i.e. more bacteria, lower weight. Ironically, as it eats the mucus, more is generated resulting in a thicker coat. And the bacteria also generates chemical that impede pathogenic bacteria.)

We also observed that prebiotic feeding normalized A. muciniphila abundance.

(prebiotics, in this case, being inulin and oligosaccharides.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inulin

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligosaccharide#Examples

...we demonstrated that A. muciniphila treatment reversed high-fat diet-induced metabolic disorders, including fat-mass gain, metabolic endotoxemia, adipose tissue inflammation, and insulin resistance.

(All very good things not to have.)

These results also provide a rationale for the development of a treatment that uses this human mucus colonizer for the prevention or treatment of obesity and its associated metabolic disorders.

(Which basically means oral or rectal insertion of live A. muciniphila bacteria. However, if you have time, you likely already have a colony of the bacteria in you, so if you spend a few months feeding it inulin and oligosaccharides, it will increase and multiply.)

I’ll add some additional notes:

1) You can purchase oligofructose enriched inulin OTC at some health food stores, such as ‘Prebiotin’. You can also get a goodly amount by snacking on Jicama (tuber vegetable) sticks. They are light and slightly sweet.

2) There seems to be synergistic effects by combining it with other soluble and insoluble fibers.

Wheat dextrin is now commonly sold as a water soluble fiber powder next to psyllium fibers like Metamucil, in most drug stores.

Psyllium seed or preferably husk, is a non-soluble fiber that can be added to the diet.

Flax seed and flour has an added benefit of displacing estrogen in the body, which is very good for men, for whom all but a tiny amount of estrogen is destructive.

Water soluble Guar gum is available online. It readily binds with bile, to flush it out of your body, along with a lot of cholesterol, as well as several toxic metals.

Ordinary oatmeal contains water soluble beta-glucan fiber, as well as several other useful chemicals.


115 posted on 05/04/2014 4:48:13 PM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (WoT News: Rantburg.com)
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To: Rusty0604

“What supplements did you add to the cat food? I’ve been thinking about making my own (for my cats that is).”

Bulk Cat Food Recipe

12/10/2010

Ingredients

34 lbs chicken thighs (skin, bone and all)
7-8 lbs chicken hearts (organic or “natural”)
4-7 lbs chicken livers (organic or “natural”)

84 gms salmon oil (42 x 2 gm capsules) (Pure Alaska Omega from Costco)
16 Spectrum Fish Oil Omega-3 caplets (320mg EPA & 200mg DHA/caplet)
16 x 400 IU Vitamin E (also Jarrow E-400 “dry E” works well)
16 gm Taurine (16 x 1 gm capsules) (Jarrow)
1600 mg Vitamin B complex (4 Jarrow B-Right capsules)
4 TB Lite salt (50/50 sodium/potassium chloride with iodine)
1 cup whole husk Psyllium powder (Organic India Fiber Harmony)
96 capsules Solary Multi Gland Caps For Women (Women more potent than Men caps)

Note that this recipe is based on recipes by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM, “Anne” at catnutrition.org, and tcfeline.com. The amount of trace minerals I used was calculated based on a total weight of 864 ounces for this recipe, and assuming an average cat eats about 5 ounces of this food a day, and that an average cat’s trace mineral needs are 1/20th the needs of a human based on the average weight ratio of the two. As it turns out, these assumptions are completely consistent with the amounts of the other supplements specified in the Pierson source recipes for the other supplements. I’ve doubled the Salmon oil from those recipes, increased the Psyllium husk powder, and also left out the egg as I believe that egg can be an allergen for many cats and it’s not something that they eat that much of in the wild.

High quality brands besides the ones listed above can be used, but do make sure to use an organic bulk Psyllium husk powder free from artificial flavors and sweeteners. Good sources for supplements are https://www.swansonvitamins.com/, http://www.iherb.com/. Be sure to google for coupons before buying anything from anybody, particularly swansonvitamins, and northerntool.

Dry capsules are processed by chopping them up in one of those little “whirlybird” coffee grinders and then separating the capsule contents from the capsule fragments by shaking everything in one of those screen-type kitchen strainers that have a handle. This takes just couple of minutes. I do this because I don’t want
a lot of gelatin capsule material in the cat food.

Oil-type capsules are placed in a small ramekin, covered with water, and then heated in a microwave oven for 30 seconds or so, or long enough to melt the gelatin capsules enough to free the oil and let it float to the top. The ramekin is then placed in the freezer so the water on the bottom freezes and the oil on top solidifies, which makes the hardened oil very easy to scrape off.

I buy my chicken thighs from Costco. The hardest thing is to find a source for the livers and hearts. Poultry wholesalers may be your best bet, and they can usually order 20 pound bags of each, which means you’ll divide each into three portions, and make up three bags of heart/liver mix, freezing two of them and using the third for the current batch of cat food. BTW, this is really more liver than is needed so you can skim a few pounds for your own consumption: organic chicken livers are divine!

I grind the thighs, hearts and livers with a LEM #22 1 HP Model 781 Grinder Kit, using a #22 3mm (1/8”) grinding plate bought separately, since it’s not part of the standard LEM grinder kit. I bought the 781 grinder from the least expensive vendor I could find at the time and the plate from http://www.butcher-baker.com/servlet/the-1892/%2322-x-1-fdsh-8%22-holes/Detail.)

Hearts and liver are fed into the grinder throat using the grinder pan, but the thighs are fed directly down the grinder throat without the pan, because the grinder throat is wider without the pan connected to it. Also, note that the hearts and livers grind much better if partially frozen. It’s also handy to drape a disposable 99¢ drop cloth over the entire grinder, punching a whole in it for the throat and taping the drop cloth around the throat to keep the whole works clean. Also, cheap disposable plastic drop clothes or inexpensive 33-gallon garbage can liners that have been cut open are good to cover the floor and counters to make cleanup easier.

I use a 22 quart stainless stock pot to receive the ground material, setting the grinder up off the floor on whatever is strong and handy and the right height to get the stock pot under the grinder head. After you are done, you’ll find several grinder plate holes clogged with bone, and there will quite a bit of polished bone particles that have piled up behind the grinder plate when you disassemble the grinder head for cleaning. The bone particles can be poked out with a flat-headed toothpick.

After grinding I mix everything (including the oil and dry supplements with a ½ power drill and a nickel-plated Exaco EM120 Drywall Mud Mixer bit from
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CD33CW/ref=pe_175190_21431760_M2C_SC_3p_dp_1. (A stainless mixer bit would be better than nickel-plated but I couldn’t find one for a reasonable price.) Mixing is quite arduous, even with a big power drill, but is very important to make sure everything is mixed up with complete consistency, as well as pulverizing the ground fat. A power drill like that is VERY noisy, so I use ear protection when I mix.

Next, I use a Kitchener 15-Lb. Stainless Steel Sausage Stuffer (northerntool.com had the best deal at the time I bought mine: http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200425065_200425065.

I use the stuffer to stuff white unprinted 1 Lb Chub Bags (1000-quantity purchased from http://store.butchersupply.net/white-unprinted-freezer-chub-bag-p2770.aspx because they had the best deal.) It helps to coat the inside walls and piston gasket with a bit of olive oil before loading it the stuffer the first time. Each loaded stuffer will stuff about 7-8 bags, and it will have to filled 4 times for the amount of cat food made by this receipe.

I use a Poly Bag Tape Machine to tie off the bag ends once they are twisted shut. Here’s one place to buy that:
http://www.lemproducts.com/product/poly-bag-tape-machine/meat-bags-tape

It’s also a good idea after cleanup and drying to spray the grinder head parts and the stuffer with a food grade silicone spray like: http://www.lemproducts.com/product/food-grade-silicone-spray/meat-grinder-accessories. Note the stuffer comes completely apart for cleaning, including the pressure relief valve.

Lastly, freeze the completed chub bags.

Regarding subsequent preparation, I first cut and peel off the chub bag, and then I thaw and cook the food in a microwave, adding at least two cups of water during the process. The Physillum husk powder will soak the water right up, and adding lots of water will keep your cats from being dehydrated, and in particular, ample liquid is really good for the feline urinary tracts of male cats.

I don’t believe in “raw” feeding, namely for two reasons. First, raw chicken is always contaminated to one degree or the other with Salmonella, sometimes heavily, and I want to be able to leave the food out overnight on a plate, and there is no way I would do that with uncooked food. Second, studies have shown that humans absorb and utilize cooked protein better than raw protein, so I don’t see why we can’t provide that same benefit to our cats.

After cooling the cooked food, I refrigerate it and then serve small meals on demand during the day and leave ample food out at night so the cats don’t wake us up. One package lasts me about 1.5 days for two cats.

Finally, obviously smaller batches can be made, but you’ll find that the setup and cleanup time to take at least two thirds of the entire process regardless of the size of the batch you make. You’ll also notice that the grinding part itself will take less than 15 minutes.


116 posted on 05/04/2014 4:48:23 PM PDT by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: Rusty0604
The horror stories in this article result from polyunsaturated fats. Reduction of saturated fat intake is a good thing.

The author, Nina Teicholz, is not a doctor, is not a nutritionist, is not a chemist, is not a scientist in any other field. Ms. Teicholz has been a journalist for nine years. That's it. The Wall Street Journal is trying to pass her off as an authority in the field of nutrition. No thank you.

I will stick with the advice of the National Institutes of Health, the Mayo Clinic, John Hopkins and the Cleveland Clinic: limit your consumption of saturated fat.

But it doesn't end there. Also reduce your consumption of polyunsaturated fats, found in poultry and most cooking oils. Also reduce your consumption of what we thinking of as the sugars. the "-oses": fructose, glucose, lactose, galactose, with fructose being the chief culprit. Also reduce your consumption of cholesterol. The body produces its own cholesterol. No one needs dietary cholesterol. Avoid anything that is described as "hydrogenated".

Finally, avoid Atkins and journalists positioning themselves as the next Atkins.

A 'tell' of the author's weak grasp on the subject is her statement that triglycerides are harmful. Triglycerides are a symptom, not a cause.

117 posted on 05/04/2014 4:56:38 PM PDT by Praxeologue
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To: Rusty0604

I prefer to drink my carbohydrates.


118 posted on 05/04/2014 5:00:33 PM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: GreyFriar

Suspicions confirmed — it was based on bad science.


119 posted on 05/04/2014 5:05:58 PM PDT by zot
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To: neal1960
Triglycerides are still through the roof.

My Triglycerides were repeatedly in the 600-800 range before I went on very low carb (VLC) Atkins diet. After just two weeks, including taking Niaspan my levels dropped and stayed under 60.

The VLC diet is the easiest way to control Triglycerides, however getting past the first couple of weeks on VLC is challenging. After two weeks it is easy.
120 posted on 05/04/2014 5:32:26 PM PDT by PA Engineer (Liberate America from the Occupation Media.)
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