Posted on 09/06/2014 11:01:50 PM PDT by nickcarraway
For decades we’ve been told to eat less cholesterol and saturated fat because they can cause or contribute to heart disease. Recently, however, these recommendations have been thrown out the window by some experts while the so-called real culprit—carbohydrates—are tossed to the lions.
So, are cholesterol and saturated fat your friends while whole-grain bagels and organic quinoa are your enemies? Before you decide to make burgers and steaks a regular part of your diet or become distressed because you are a vegetarian or vegan, let’s take a closer look at what is being reported.
A growing number of studies, including a March 2014 meta-analysis of 76 reports, have indicated that people who ate higher amounts of saturated fat did not experience more heart disease than individuals who ate less of the fat. They also have suggested that reducing your saturated fat and keeping your cholesterol levels low (less than around 180 mg/dL) do not help prevent heart disease and obesity. In fact, according to a 2013 study published in the British Medical Journal, lowering these two figures can actually raise your risk for both conditions.
This and other research findings were fodder for a recently published book called “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet” by Nina Teicholz, a health journalist. Teicholz emphasizes that the mantra to reduce saturated fat and cholesterol because they can cause heart disease is out of key—in more ways than one. In fact, since publication of research in Circulation by Ancel Keys in 1963, which stated that saturated fat is a big no-no for health and the heart, the public has been urged by the medical realm to lower its intake of foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol.
Keys went on to publish follow-up articles on his work. A problem is that Keys reported only on selected countries; that is, only seven of the 22 he surveyed (which is why the study is referred to as the Seven Countries Study). When the data from all of the countries are considered, the conclusion was that people who ate more saturated fat actually had a lower risk of heart disease.
The result, according to Teicholz and some researchers, is that the public has turned in a big way to carbohydrates, especially refined carbs and simple sugars. This detour from fat to processed carbs has resulted in runaway inflammation and disease, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, obesity, and more.
That’s because when you replace saturated with more carbs, especially refined white flour and white sugar carbs, you nourish and support insulin resistance, raise triglyceride levels, lower good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein, HDL), and encourage obesity, according to an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition report.
Another well-known study that focused on cholesterol and heart disease is the Framingham Heart Study, which started in 1948 and has continued to this day. A little known fact about the findings of this study is that the more saturated fat and cholesterol people consumed, the lower their cholesterol levels. Since three-quarters of your cholesterol is produced by your liver, which is influenced by your insulin levels, it makes sense that you would want to manage your refined carbohydrate intake and keep insulin levels under control.
Benefits of Cholesterol and Saturated Fat The idea that saturated fat and cholesterol are healthful may seem foreign, but they both do perform necessary and beneficial functions. For example, cholesterol:
Is necessary for developing and maintaining cell structure Is needed to help your cells adjust to temperature changes Plays a critical role in the production the hormones testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone Protects the nerve cells Is needed by the body, along with sunlight, to manufacture vitamin D Not all saturated fatty acids are the same. In fact, there are three main types–short-, medium-, and long-chain fatty acids—and they have specific characteristics. For example:
Short-chain fatty acids (e.g., caproic acid, butyric acid), which are found in dairy products from pasture-fed animals, have anti-inflammatory properties. They also support and nurture gut health. Medium-chain fatty acids (e.g., capric, caprylic, and lauric acids) are found in palm and coconut oil and butter. They have demonstrated some ability to help with improving body composition, boosting productivity, and possibly improve insulin sensitivity and cognition. Long-chain fatty acids (e.g., myristic, palmitic, and stearic acids) can contribute to heart disease, depending on which ones you consume. The trouble is, the long-chain fatty acids are consumed a lot! Both myristic and palmitic acid, for example, increase LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, which is linked to cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. Dr. Mike Hart has noted that “the sources of long chain fatty acids that should be avoided come from processed foods and factory farmed meats.” Stearic acids are found in processed meats, beef, cheese, chicken, and grain-based desserts.
A More Vegetarian Argument Among health experts who are not persuaded by the good saturated fat and cholesterol argument are Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and Dr. Andrew Weil, founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine. Both physicians are also widely published and internationally known speakers.
Barnard remains adamant that “meat is unhealthy,” regardless of whether you point a finger at saturated fat, cholesterol, the fact that many vitamins are not found in meat, the absence of fiber, or the presence of arachidonic acid (which promotes inflammation). These factors can increase a person’s risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes, he notes.
Weil is a bit more forgiving, but not much. Based on the various studies on saturated fat and cholesterol, he suggests people consider eating high-quality organic dairy products in moderation and to limit saturated fat intake to not more than 10 percent of daily calories. He also notes that an “occasional steak (from organic, grass-fed, grass-finished cattle, please)” is acceptable.
So What’s the Verdict? Experts cannot agree on the impact of saturated fat and cholesterol on heart disease. It’s also important to remember there are scores of studies that link saturated fat with other serious conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and cancer.
However, according to various experts, if you buy into the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol are healthful, you should remember to stick with the “best sources,” which include grass-fed beef, pastured butter, coconut oil, tallow, ghee, and free-range eggs while avoiding any processed foods or those not in a natural form, according to Hart.
Joseph M. Mercola, DO, has weighed in on this question. He offers a list of recommendations on how to optimize cholesterol levels, reverse insulin resistance, and thus help prevent heart disease. Some of those suggestions are:
Significantly reduce and even eliminate grains and fructose. Replace grain carbs with lots of non-starchy organic veggies. Include lots of organic raw foods in your diet. This includes not only raw veggies but also nuts, seeds, and dairy. Consume omega-3 fats and reduce omega-6 fats. Include healthful fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocados, and organic grass-fed meat. Avoid GMOs and artificial sweeteners. As a final note, it’s critical to remember that each person is unique, with his or her own personal and family history of heart disease as well as the presence and/or severity of other risk factors for heart conditions, such as overweight/obesity, smoking, age, stress levels, menopause status, amount of physical exercise, alcohol use, illicit drug use, and C-reactive protein levels.
Are cholesterol and saturated fat your friends when consumed in moderation? When it comes to matters of the heart, be sure to weigh all the factors carefully.
I've been told by many people, including Freepers, quite forcefully that all carbs are poison.
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is an extreme left wing group and I wouldn’t believe a word he says.
Do you disagree with the premise of your own OP? It appears that you do.
“I’ve been told by many people, including Freepers, quite forcefully that all carbs are poison.”
No, STARCHY carbs are poison, bread, rice, pasta, etc. Carbs should come from non-starchy veggies, limited (because of high sugar content) fruits, and nuts.
I can’t find Bacon flavored Spam anywhere on the east coast !
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I tried a can a couple of months ago. I love bacon, so was looking forward to a real treat. .....Sorely disappointed. The bacon flavoring was just too overpowering and actually detracted from the taste of the meat and other food.
Great article, thanks for posting. It’s good to see the medical profession finally being corrected from their HUGE SCREW-UP regarding what foods are good for you and what are not.
By the way, like most here, I’m not a big fan of 60 Minutes, but once in a while they hit GOLD, as they did on this article, which BLOWS AWAY most of the remaining myths, at least in its regard for older people:
1) Alcohol is bad
2) Vitamins are good
3) Overweight is bad
4) High Blood Pressure is bad
...and others.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/living-to-90-and-beyond-60-minutes/
I’d recommend that ANYONE wishing to get a good summary as to how to live long, based on REAL DATA, not conjecture, watch this report.
“How long ago was that? It seems like lately, for a while, you here the exact opposite. Around here, I only hear that all carbohydrates are poison, and vegetables will kill you. “
Today’s Wheat (which is NOT your grandmother’s wheat) is the only truly poison carb. The others won’t do you much good if you’re trying to lose weight, but they also don’t cause your body to inflame and put you on the path to Type 2.
There are record numbers of centenarians in the country. These people were born at a time without health Nazis running around telling they were going to die from eating bacon and cheese. I’ll bet many of those oldies ate a lot of meat and dairy products.
"Neal Barnard is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ medical advisor, and is president of the Foundation to Support Animal Protection (also known as “The PETA Foundation”) — a legal entity that owns most of PETA’s real estate, pays its largest salaries, and has funneled huge sums of money to PCRM.
In 1995 Merritt Clifton, editor of Animal People News, wrote that Barnard and PETA president Ingrid Newkirk had “lived together for many years” and were “lovers.”
Thanks for pointing out the arachidonic acid. I have rheumatoid arthritis and have been in slight discomfort (constant) for about a year now. Just read an article correlating rheumatoid with Alzheimers. My grandmother had both. Crippled physically and mentally but after 85, passed at 92. Her daughter (my aunt) is suffering with Alzheimers, but I don’t know if she has the arthritis, too. Going to ask.
Great advice. I've eliminated vegetable oils (the omega-6) I fry in lard.
Both rheumatoid and Alzheimer's have been associated with high carbohydrate diets (grain, fruit, sugar etc.) Some researchers believe Alzheimer's is a form of diabetes. Meat does not cause diabetes, carbohydrates do.
BTW - Neal Barnard is a psychiatrist and PETA believes humans are better off dead.
Freepers can't separate their emotions from logic a lot of the time. They associate any criticism of beef or pork as an attack on their very way of life. They cannot separate the mere discussion of a topic with the fear of some inevitable government action (no without some basis, mind you).
But the whole low carb meme is a total fake, phony, fraudulent issue. The recent paleo fad was just recycled Atkins nonsense. Whole grain carbs are excellent foods.
Bump for later
Speaking of margarine, remember how we were told for decades how healthy an alternative margarine was for butter? Turns out that margarine is a stick of poisonous man-made chemicals that wreaks havoc with your body. Good old butter is so much better for you - and it tastes better too.
Moderation in all things is prudent.
Humans need fruit, vegetables, beans, grains, a few ounces of fish, and about 2 hours of sunshine on the face each week for nutrition.
Eat everything else for fun.
If you can't get to 70 by a comfortable road don't go.
I’ve followed one diet my whole life. I eat whatever tastes good. It’s the same diet my 93 year old mother still follows.
I’m in good health, not over weight and am way too old to die young.
So you prefer monophonic?
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