Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Big "FAT" Lies...



Saturated fat is often referred to as "Bad Fat", sited as the culprit for raising total and LDL cholesterol levels and contributing to the development of heart disease.  The American Heart Association (AHA) and many other health organizations recommend restricting saturated fat to less than 10% of total calories in order to avoid high cholesterol and heart disease.  These guidelines call for limiting intake of and/or avoiding animal products (meats, eggs, high fat dairy) and highly saturated plant fats (palm, palm kernal and coconut oils, coconut products).  But are all of these recommendations really necessary?  Is saturated fat really as bad as it's been made out to be? 

A meta-analysis study published in the latest issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that there is no significant evidence linking saturated fat with increased risk for heart disease. So why has saturated fat gotten such a bad reputation?  Credit several flawed and misinterpretted studies, dating back to Ancel Key's work in the 1950's, and multi-billion dollar vegetable oil and drug industries. 

Saturated fat is - a neutral, sometimes beneificial body substance. 
Saturated fat is NOT - the cause of, or a risk factor for heart disease. 

Here's a list of real culprits:
  • Trans-fats - artificially hydrogenated oils
  • Refined vegetable oils - high in omega-6 fatty acids (soybean, corn, cottonseed, etc., oils)
  • Refined sugars - high fructose corn syrup, etc.
  • Refined carbohydrates (flour, pasta, rice, cereals, etc.)
  • Lack of physical activity/exercise
  • Smoking
  • Excessive stress
Now that you have the facts, stop believing the big "FAT" lies!

Comments...
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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 20, 2010 at 2:34 PM

    Interesting that such foods as pasta, rice and cereals is included in the real culprits. What is that telling us exactly? One side of the sword says yes, eat cereals such as brans and oats for breakfast, but now this side of the sword says eat cereal only every now and then. Any elaboration???

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  2. Dana LawJanuary 20, 2010 at 6:31 PM

    Amy,
    Nice post. We use a lot of olive oil. We still have some corn oil and peanut oil in the pantry. Should we get rid of it and what else do you use for recipes that include such oils or for sauteeing?
    Thank you,
    Dana Law
    San Diego
    P.S. I like your hiking picture. I've been hiking to Canada for the last 8 years. Check it out at pctdanalaw.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. LuisJanuary 20, 2010 at 7:15 PM

    I'd bet if you followed the money you wound see why it is that all these items taht are high carb or corn based are reccomended.

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  4. Amy Kubal, MS, RD, LNJanuary 21, 2010 at 4:39 AM

    Luis - I agree with you. I'm hoping that more studies like this will come out and expose the truth!

    Dana - I would recommend ditching the corn and peanut oils in favor of coconut, walnut and olive oils. Nice blog - I love the mountains!

    The Mail - Like Luis said, follow the money. That's where all of the current messages are rooted. But like I said the truth is slowly making headlines forcing new recommendations...

    Thanks for your comments everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  5. BloggerMarch 31, 2017 at 11:16 AM

    3 Researches SHOW Why Coconut Oil Kills Waist Fat.

    The meaning of this is that you actually burn fat by consuming Coconut Fats (in addition to coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut oil).

    These 3 researches from big medicinal journals are sure to turn the conventional nutrition world upside down!

    ReplyDelete

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