Life is a dance, a rhythmic flow of movement that gracefully undulates with give and take. Unless you've seen me dance, then it's more like a manic seizure set to music. But I digress. My point is that sometimes you have to take a step back to look forward, and that's where our story begins. Let's review saturated fat's relationship with heart disease. Back in the 1950's we were told to eat corn and sunflower oils as healthy alternatives to saturated fat. As our consumption of polyunsaturated fats rose so did the rate of heart disease. Food companies developed new "non-fat" versions replacing fat with carbohydrates and synthetic chemicals and thus heart disease flourished. The net result was a population frightened by all things saturated fat yet driving themselves to diabetes and heart disease in record numbers by eating an abundance of high glycemic carbohydrates and processed food.
More Good, Less Bad
The term "saturated fat" became synonymous with red meat and eggs. Once again I will take one step back by saying I am about to discuss grass fed organic beef because that is the only red meat any health conscious carnivore would eat, right? (Your standard grocery store beef is full of hormones and antibiotics and we're just not going to go there now.) Break red meat down into its components and you will find that most of its fat is the healthy oleic acid, the same fat in olive oil that we have been encouraged to eat. Only 35% of the total fat is saturated and that is the very component that helps increase our beneficial HDL. Multiple studies have shown us that an elevated HDL is good for our heart and blood vessels. A low HDL level is the very factor that most reliably predicts those at risk for heart attacks. Saturated fats actually increase the beneficial HDL in our bodies, which in turn has a direct function in removing the harmful LDL. Oh, and by the way, lets not overlook the healthy omega 3 fats that come naturally when you feed cattle grass instead of grain.
Enough "Experts" - What Do Population Studies Tell Us?
Cultural studies of Polynesian tribes who consume a diet high in saturated fat show low occurrence of heart disease. The Swiss have higher cholesterol levels than Americans yet suffer fewer heart attacks. A Swedish study looking at obesity in children showed that a LOW fat intake was associated with a higher BMI (body fat) and blamed insulin resistance secondary to high carbohydrate diets. These diets lacked adequate omega 3 fats, vitamin D, and iron. A recent study of low fat diets showed that patients placed on a low (18%) fat diet experienced a 9% reduction in cardiovascular risk while those on a moderate fat (33%) enjoyed a 14% reduction in cardiovascular risk.
The How-To Guide to Plaque
So what is affecting the triglycerides (this is a form of fat in your blood stream that is either burned by muscles for fuel or stored as fat) that are so predictive of heart disease? Excellent question. Over the past few decades we have replaced the foods that contain saturated fats with foods high in polyunsaturated fats and too much omega 6, along with a ton of carbohydrates such as whole wheat bread and pasta. The result has accelerated heart disease and cancer rates and lead to the greatest increase in type 2 diabetes the world has ever seen. A full 80% of diabetics die from heart disease, stroke and vascular disease. Why? Well it's not from eating saturated fat, it's because the high carbohydrate diets that most Americans have adopted are raising our insulin level which is the most proinflammatory hormone in our bodies. Insulin stops our cells from burning triglycerides which are then oxidized and become plaque in our arteries
Here's the Skinny on Fat
Saturated fats: they increase the beneficial HDL, they are found in foods that contain high levels of oleic acids which decrease inflammation, they do not raise insulin and in fact lower the glycemic effect of carbohydrates, and they do not interfere with the bodies ability to burn triglycerides as sugars do. Maybe of greatest importance is that they increase our bodies satiety (sense of fullness). In other words it sends signals that we have had enough and to STOP eating. I am not suggesting we slather saturated fats into everything we eat but I am quite certain that the evidence shows they are not the villains we made them out to be. Like everything in life a healthy balance needs to be found. We would be much healthier avoiding processed foods and selecting whole foods; the majority being vegetables, and adding organic beef and eggs and other good protein sources, that contain a small amount of saturated fat as well as a good amount of healthy fats that our bodies need and want.
And don't get me started on eggs. Too late, look for that topic in an upcoming post and be prepared to have some myths shattered...or at least cracked.
Contact Dr. Huber: drhuber@healthyalterego.org
Sources:
Science Daily, Univ at Buffalo (2004, Feb 4)
Mensink RP, et al Am J Clin Nutr 2003 May;77(5):1146-55
Krauss RM, et al Am J Clin Nutr 2006 May;83(5):1025-31
