[An apology. Some people have objected to the work Tranny, as this is considered offensive to trans-gendered individuals. I was attempting a play on words from Roddy Doyle’s well known book Paddy Clarke ha ha ha. I had not the slightest intention of causing offense in this way, and I apologise if I have done so. I hope the title can be taken in the ‘innocent’ way that it was meant]
Many years ago a man, who they say, had an ego the size of a planet decided that he just knew what caused heart disease. It was cholesterol consumption in the diet that raised blood cholesterol and killed us all. Unfortunately, for him, he did some research that however much cholesterol you ate, it had no effect on the cholesterol level in the blood.
‘No matter.’ He laughed gaily. ‘What is the point of a good hypothesis if you cannot change it upon a whim?’
So he then decided that it was dietary fat that raised cholesterol levels in the blood and caused us all to die of heart disease. Only it wasn’t that one either. So then he thought it was animal fat (wrong again!) and finally settled upon saturated fat.
Then, through a combination of his forceful personality, and a good bit of merciless bullying anyone who disagreed, Ancel Keys promoted his message far and wide, and those in power decided he was right.
This set in chain a whole series of seemingly disconnected phenomena. The first of these was to start telling everyone that they should not be eating saturated fats, assumed to be animal fats, or else they would die. Thus, recommendations about what was healthy to eat became moved away from those horrible, unhealthy fats, and focussed entirely on eating carbohydrates.
At which point the obesity epidemic began- as you would expect. This was closely followed by the epidemic of diabetes – as you would expect. If you know anything about human physiology.
Then it was realised that diabetics, who were more likely to develop heart disease than anyone else really, really, should not eat any sort of fat. Saturated or otherwise. They were all advised to switch to eating carbohydrates. This of course, makes perfect sense. We have a group of people who cannot control their blood sugar levels, so we tell them to eat almost nothing but sugar.
We now spend more on medication for diabetes than any other form of medicine in the world. Why, because no-one can get their blood sugar levels under control any more. Quelle surprise?
In parallel with this nonsense it was decided that we should replace saturated fats with ‘healthy’ polyunsaturated fats and suchlike. Which inevitably included trans-fatty acids. These were first discovered many years ago, when oils were turned into margarine. The margarine was, at first, coloured pink – as it was considered unfit for human consumption, and was only fed to animals.
Gradually trans-fats, which are also polyunsaturated fats, found their way into almost everything anyone ate – including of course margarine (no longer coloured pink, instead with pretty coloured flowers on the tub). MacDonald’s were virtually forced into cooking their fries in vegetable fat, so that no-one would be exposed to the deadly, evil saturated fats. Hey ho, what happens to vegetable fats at high temperatures? Well, they turn into trans-fatty acids, of course. Who knew? Apart from all chemists in the world.
More recently we find that trans-fatty acids are uniquely unhealthy substances that should be banned, and excluded from human consumption. What a surprise, a range of chemical compounds almost unknown to nature may not be healthy….well, who’d a thunk? This morning I was listening to a debate on the radio about whether the UK should ban all trans-fatty acids. [Well, you can’t ban them all, because some are found in natural foodstuffs.]
I just sat and listened, and thought that the entire world of nutrition was bonkers, and remains bonkers. An egocentric megalomaniac called Ancel Keys decided that ‘HE KNEW’ what caused heart disease, and would brook no dissent. His legacy is that we now force carbohydrates into diabetics, and almost everyone else. We also forced manufacturers to stop selling saturated fat and, instead, switch to super-healthy trans-fats. We made MacDonald’s French fries uniquely unhealthy. A perfect and delicious irony. Accuse MacDonald’s of selling unhealthy food, then make them do it.
God knows how many have died prematurely because of this complete and utter nonsense. Tranny fats, ha ha ha.
Dr. Malcolm Kendrick 
Ah, a sense of humor on such a serious subject, Thank you!
Well he’s certainly cause offence to me by using the American spelling. Whatever happened to your Scottish education, doc?
Um
Hey, doc, look at the latest Le Fanu column in The Tel: he reports a use for statins. Apparently they can clear ear wax.
Dear Malcolm
Excellent, as usual. Pardon me for correcting your French but maybe you meant ‘Quelle surprise’ (no accents)?
I mention this only because I’d like to share this with my colleagues at the European Commission. Several of them are native French speakers.
Best wishes
Obhi
Sent from my iPad
>
Done. I shouldn’t try to do stuff like this on wordpress it has a habit of some strange spell checking quirks.
Hi, great article! Thanks for all this information , which at the end of the day, will help many of us to live longer. I will pass this to as many of my friends as possible. Many are still working in the NHS though, will there be any chance of the NHS changing their ways?
Oh and please look at the very first line where I think you have used the word “work” when I think you mean “word”, apologies if I’m wrong!
A Tranny was the short name for a transistor radio in my youth….
Great blog! The strange thing is that I have been told that Ancel Keys changed his mind about that advice….and nobody listened to him … Have you read any of the books by Dr Richard Mackarness ?,and George V. Mann…Coronary Heart Disease (The Dietary Sense and Nonsense)?
Feeling feisty today Doc?
Tranny fats… Reminds me of this drunken jocularity:
– https://www.reddit.com/r/Adelaide/comments/259w71/how_transfriendly_is_adelaide
Oops direct link…
– https://www.reddit.com/r/Adelaide/comments/259w71/how_transfriendly_is_adelaide/chf5oqp
I listened to the same debate I think (BBC radio 4), and I could not believe my ears. So trans fats have been proven to be bad, even though their consumption in the UK has significantly decreased in recent years we are still way behind many European countries that already banned them, they are found in cheapest foods consumed mostly by the poorer in the society – who could really do with some help in this area – even the USA is considering the complete ban of trans fats, and in the radio debate that professor says their consumption levels are so low so why bother anyway???!!!!!??!!!! No such nonchalance in any debates about statins or animal fats.
As the spouse of a diabetic heart patient. Taking on board the comments regarding fats and carbohydrate I would be interested on advice as to the best balanced diet for such as person. Positive advice rather than negative advice.
@Esther as you lead the witness somewhat with “balanced” and “positive” I am left suggesting increasing the content of mono-unsaturated and saturated fats in the diet at the expense of carobhydrates ie trade carbs for fats in order to reduce harmful blood sugar levels.
This does not constitute medical advice.
Esther, going Paleo is a step in the right direction. Nutritional advice as given by so many so-called experts is so far off that you need to search out the truth for yourself. First step is avoid any processed rubbish (more or less anything in a box or bag made by “food” companies). If you can’t see what your food consists of don’t buy it. Next avoid sugar in all of its guises – and that includes most fruit (berries are a safe option). As Dr Kendrick points out in his excellent book Doctoring Data five a day is just a sound bite with no logic behind it. Also try to reduce carbohydrates such as bread, pasta or potatoes (which are calorie bombs when cooked) as much as possible. Always remember that carbohydrate supplies energy and nothing else – if you don’t use it after eating then it will get stored as fat (after spiking your blood sugar).
I’ve just finished reading The Paleo Cardiologist, the natural way to heart health by Dr J.Wolfson ISBN 9781630475802 and, in your circumstances, this book may provide suitable advice. Dr. Wolfson goes a bit OTT in pushing Paleo but the principles are correct and he provides case histories to support.
Wishing you success!
Does this apply to both type 1 and type 2 ?
merrilie2015, yes it applies to both. See the following (written by a Type 1):
More info from a different doctor:
https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/lchf-for-type-1-diabetes/
Dr. Fung also believes that giving insulin causes/exacerbates insulin resistance. He recommends a low carbohydrate diet to reduce the amount of insulin given. He also recommends intermittent fasting, but that’s a big step.
Corroborating Dr. Kendrick’s “. . .five a day is just a sound bite. . .” is an entertaining chapter on the subject in Barry Groves’s “Trick and Treat.”
Carbohydrate is not the only source of energy. In the absence of carbohydrate the body will switch to using protein and fat to convert into glucose and in the process will not raise BGs nearly as much as carbs.
I should added to my earlier reply. Use coconut oil for cooking. Very stable and an excellent source of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid. It will not impart any coconut flavour to your food. You can find coconut oil at any decent Asian shop (KTC is a common brand) and also from Amazon (they sell a 10 litre bucket of KTC which you can melt (melting point 25C) and then pour into suitable containers. Lots of info on the web.
Yes on Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (EVCO).
Correct on its use for cooking and an excellent nutritional source of medium chain triglycerides. A100% of MCT’s are burned and one stored . Have “Rocket coffee” in the am .
But….
BAD ADVICE REF. BUYING IT IN LARGE QUANTITIES !
“Healthy” fats must also NOT BEOXIDIZED . Three conditions cause fat oxidation, heat, and exposure to air and sun lite . EVCO should be purchased ONLY in glass obtain era, and preferably brown glass, and stored in the dark .
WHY IN GLASS ? When reading about EVCO and another healthy oil… Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (EVOO), the following point I wish to share is rarely mentioned .
“Plasticizers” are organic molecules added to synthetic plastics to make them soft . They are toxic for a variety of reasons including behaving as free radicles as well as being carcinogenic ! They are on the long list of environmental toxins weare daily exposed to, and reducing their consumption is of necessity.
“Plasticizers” ARE LIPOPHILIC … that means they are dissolved in oil.
ERGO …… EVCO stored in large volume plastic containers, will by simple chemistry have theEVCO leach out and dissolve into itself toxic plasticizers.the same chemical principles apply to purchasing EVOO sold in liter plastic bottles.
With Regards for your health;
J.a.Winfield,MD.PhD.
Homeostatic Ancestral and Metabolic Nutritional Consultant
Chief Scientific Advisor of Healthier is Wealthier.
Regarding JA Winfield reply on plasticizers in plastic containers – These plasticizers are primarily used in PVC products and are not used in polyethylene plastic containers which are the vast majority of containers for food. Polyethylene is similar to paraffin, just a higher molecular weight, and very inert. If you might be in doubt about which plastic is being used for your container, just burn a small amount with a match. PVC will not sustain combustion, while PE willl burn like candle wax and the products of combustion will smell similarly.
Also, coconut oil is something like 96% saturated, so little margin for oxidation. That is why it behaves so well at high heat. I buy mine at COSTCO in Canada and the USA and it is very stable for at least a year.
I recommend you check out http://www.diabetes-warrior.net/
It’s run by a gentleman called Steve Cooksey, who can also be found on both FB and G+. He’s a T2 diabetic who was formerly insulin-dependent and is now drug and insulin free, and maintains normal blood glucose.
His advice has helped me a lot. I’m now no longer taking any medication (formerly Metformin and Januvia) for my T2 diabetes and have mostly normal blood glucose numbers — my A1c hovers around 5.8 – 6.4. I’d have lower numbers if I exercised more and ate less fruit (I’m a sucker for summer fruit — peaches, pears, plums, cherries)
Basically reduce carbs to about 30g/day or less, get plenty of exercise (30 minute walk daily as a minimum, strength training as well, if he can handle it) and eat good fats (meat, butter, coconut oil, avocados) to provide the energy that you would have got from the carbs.
FWIW, before the low-fat craze came in the recommendation for diabetics was 50g carb/day. Funny how that went out the window when the low-fat advice came in.
I disagree. You don’t need to exercise to control your T2 diabetes. All you need to do is limit what goes into your mouth.
Nothing else is as effective, medication, exercise are tweaks, peripheral tweaks.
All that matters is what goes into you mouth.
I have reduced my HbA1c to 31 (5 in old units) purely by eating to my meter. And lost 9 stone and a bit. Not one step of extra exercise have I taken either.
I eat about 100g carb per day, making sure I don’t eat more than 10-15g per meal. This keeps my blood sugars under 6.5 at all times.
Carb tolerance is different for everyone.
Eat to your meter.
That’s all you need to do.
It really is.
Things could be changing. The American Diabetes Association asked “What was your most recent blood glucose reading?” The answers (the ones I can see anyway) are all “They’re great because we’re eating a low carbohydrate diet and not the diet recommended by the ADA.” Many of these mention Dr. Bernstein.
https://m.facebook.com/AmericanDiabetesAssociation/posts/10153140618374033
Wow!
I bet the ADA wishes they didn’t have a Facebook page.
Eat lard, goose fat, and butter. Buy chicken with skin and save the fat.
And roasted duck legs, done until the skin is crispy. Swoonworthy.
Good article, Malcolm. It neatly encapsulates why the lobby for the cholesterol/hypothesis rolled on for rather too many years. One prime reason why ordinary people could not make decisions for themselves is this; the medical journals and publishers treat information as a very expensive commodity.
The current move towards open access science is to be welcomed and encouraged. Major publishers such as Elsevier were barely contrite for publishing half a dozen ghost-written ‘journals’ in Australia. All part and parcel of keeping the public thick at all costs.
Pharmaceutical company money appears to be little more than drug dealer cartel activity. It is relatively uncommon to see people who are willing to put even a band aid onto a scratch without having an A&E consultant examine them and order an accumulative and deleterious serious of X-ray exposures.
Against the background of ersatz medical research creating weekly scares and dependency on the medical profession… which appears to rely on drug modification of self limiting conditions, it is unlikely that people will ever take responsibility for their own health.
The latest scare this week is caffeine… Deity! Leave us all to live our lives how we choose. I cannot get excited about being told the bleedin’ obvious ad nauseam.
Indeed and goodness knows how many are still suffering today. Millions by the look of it.
Here in Dutchland the common name for diabetics is sugar disease. Very apt, don’t you think? Unfortunately all diabetics get the official advice to load up on carbs at least 3 times a day. Right! Because if you have a peanut allergy you should eat loads of peanuts, if you are lactose intolerant you should stuff yourself to the gills with diary and if you are gluten intolerant then you should really eat as much gluten containing food as you can possibly can. Yep, this is all of the sense that is non.
cheerio,
Yolanda
Yes, Yolanda, some time back in the US, diabetes was sometimes called “sugar diabetes.”
The local hillbillies will say, “I got sugar.”
Anna wrote: The local hillbillies will say, “I got sugar.”
Yes, Anna. After I posted about “sugar diabetes,” I remembered that some people would simply call the disease “sugar.”
What about the bunnies…? Is that bollocks…? Thought we decided that cholesterol and saturated fat would kill US because some ‘scientists’ fed both to bunnies and they died and, therefore, because we’re so obviously so closely related to Bugs, Peter, Cottontail, Benjamin, Flopsy, Mopsy et al, they concluded it’d kill us, too. They fed it to the lead researcher’s dogs but it didn’t seem to want to kill them.
I’ve actually had veganists, presumably coz Campbell thinks of it as serious research, quote it as the reason eating animals is bad. Which I always find funny, coz they killed all those BUNNIES!
Is that bollocks…? It’s a tad early for me, Doc, it’s not yet dinnertime. I’m gonna go kip until it is.
Which is why, when I went to buy one of our rare fish n’ chip meals, I was delighted to see a box of pure beef dripping waiting to be put in the fridge.
Wow! There’s hope for us yet.
In this area (South Lincolnshire) nearly every little village seems to have a chippy, and they mosty seem to use beef dripping. So does the very good one we patronise on our regular visits to Gorleston. Seems that we are ahead of the trend out here in Nowwheresville.
You’ve summed it up beautifully.
Yes, the shock videos of a tranny sporting a “fat” bigger than anything nature endowed me with- cruel to be sure!
Yes, sorry, completely didn’t realise that the word Tranny would be taken in this way. It was play on the book title Paddy Clarke ha ha ha by Roddy Doyle. Tricky old world.
Oh dear. I don’t think I’ll be able to stop a 50 year habit of referring to my kitchen radio as the tranny. Do you think the vocabulary police will come for me?
They will come for everyone in the end
Hey — I’m a big fat diabetic Tranny and I laughed. Some of us retain our sense of humour. A good friend of mine, another Transman, has a t-shirt I covet that has a nice detailed drawing of a car transmission, with the word “Tranny” superimposed in large friendly letters.
Honestly, does it really matter if you used the word ‘Tranny’? Intelligent people are able to work out what is meant in this context. Too much sensitivity and political correctness would de-humourise your wonderful articles. Don’t think too deeply, you can’t please everyone – oh hey, I think you already know that don’t you Dr K?
Reminds me of my old father-in law, comparing his modern city life to his youth in the old country where, he said, “We all were gay.”
Hugh Mannity wrote: “Hey — I’m a big fat diabetic Tranny and I laughed.”
I’m glad to know you, Hugh. Off I go to read more on the topic of “trannies.” 🙂
Are people from Transylvania called ‘Trannies’ in Rumania, I wonder? Wow, Dracula may have been a Tranny?
“trans-fats, which are also polyunsaturated fats”
Trans-fats are mostly a form of mono-unsaturated fat. They generally contain one straight trans-double bond, hence why they are straight and solid at room temperature. One exception is CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) which has one trans and one CIS double bond.
“what happens to vegetable fats at high temperatures? Well, they turn into trans-fatty acids, of course”
PUFA do oxidse into some nasty things on cooking, but not generally into trans-fats. A small amount of trans-fats can be formed during steam-deodorising, and fermentation in a ruminants gut produces some also. To produce lots of trans-fats you generally need to use Nickel Hydride catalyst and industrial scale cookers.
Perhaps time to dust off that old copy of Dr Enigs – “Know Your Fats” !
PS – Dr Enigs other great contribution to this was bestowing us with the word “Chutzpah” for the story you just told.
I thought vegetable oils often contained trans-fats anyway? http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1745-4522.1994.tb00244.x/abstract
I was going to say that. High temperatures doesn’t change cis configuration to trans
Good article
And it’s not just MacDonald’s either. Try eating out anywhere and asking what they’re cooking in. Or suggesting to anyone with high blood sugar that they swap carbs for fats, (saturated, of course), and you see what you’re up against.
Indeed. Not to mention TV programmes like “Eat Well for Less” which recommended quitting butter and using margarine instead three weeks ago. That’s part of the problem – it’s cheap.
And NHS Choices website dietary advice makes steam come out my ears. The advice for those with diabetes is nothing but a set up for failure and continued ill health.
The advice for diabetics is great. As long as you eat exactly the opposite of what they tell you to.
Hugh, as is the advice (in the US) for general people. The advice is to eat a high portion of carbohydrates, from grains; eat “red” meat rarely; eat chicken and fish daily or every few days; eat “5 servings” (whatever those are) of fruits and vegetables a day; eat animal fat rarely or never; eat vegetable oils. I eat exactly the opposite: I avoid fruits, grains (whole or not), vegetable oils; I eat as much animal fat as I can; I eat vegetables (the low carb variety), though if I don’t have them at a meal, I’m not worried. For me, the jury is still out on olive oil, fish, and vegetables. I have begun eating more fatty fish, but that’s because I’ve been diagnosed with some arrhythmias (PVCs mainly). However, it seems to me that reducing my insulin resistance has helped me in that regard more than fish oil had. I could be wrong, though.
Yes, I saw that and was horrified. How irresponsible.
Thank you again, Dr Kendrick. I find most of the comments on your blogs very interesting too. Some knowledgeable people write here!
If it were only trans-fats, but seems also polyunsaturated are as bad, too. They cause obesity and diabetes, at least soybean oil does: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0132672
Thank you for specifically bringing this subject up – really close to my heart 🙂
1999 I started to wonder why my heart had been so badly struck though I still unexpectedly survived. It really did not take much of ‘research’ efforts to find out the ‘truth’ that the trans fats in all my over-consumed cookies was one of the main culprits.
Since then I have lived according to the principle of never touching any food containing ‘partially saturated vegetable fats’ or more conspicuously named margarine. I guess that that decision is one of the main reason for me still being alive and rather ‘fit for fight’ at my age now of 69 but later skipping the carbs doesn’t seem to have hurt either.
1999 it was definitely no secret that the trans fats were dangerous for your heart health and actually this had been known since the 1960-th not least through the research of the US Prof. Kummerow who after more than 60 years of his research got so tired of the ‘inaction’ of FDA that he at age 100 sued this organisation for not banning these fats from the food and it seems like he finally has been successful in his lifelong mission.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/06/16/the-100-year-old-scientist-who-pushed-the-fda-to-ban-artificial-trans-fat/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Kummerow
Fred Kummerow was probably not one of Ancel Keys favourites.
To me it is so disgusting that while the science is there available for anyone really interested it takes your individual efforts to grasp this while the medical establishment advocates their unscientific believes which are ruining your health and that this has been going on for at least 50 years.
I have not met Professor Kummerow but know he works/retired from the University of Illinois, located in Champaign/Urbana, the town I pretty much grew up in and lived for many years. I very much enjoyed the Professor’s reply in the local paper, more or less, last year to Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, one of the creators of America’s new health care system. Dr. Emanuel is known for his belief and mentioning that many will and should live to the age of 75 and then pass away.
“Unending curiosity: At nearly 100, prof continues provocative research into human health”
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/local/2014-09-25/unending-curiosity-nearly-100-prof-continues-provocative-research-human-health
Soul,
Thank you for this link!
Encouraging reading for me as a 69 year old guy who was doomed at 52 🙂
Kummerow’s research certainly made a big difference to me at 52 when I banned the trans fats myself.
Dr. Sjoberg, I am 75 years old and each time I talk with Dr. Kummerow I tell him I am aiming for 100. I finished my graduate work at the U of Illinois in 1975, but have remained in touch with Dr. Kummerow over the intervening 40 years. He continues to be an inspiration. PS: please excuse the “o” without the correct mark.
Dr. Kendrick, Thank you for this summary. My graduate school advisor, Dr. Fred Kummerow, published information about the effects of trans fats in 1957. Dr. Ancel Keyes was his nemesis. Now as Dr. Kummerow approaches his 101st birthday in October 2015, the ban on trans fats in the USA is on the books. I doubt it is possible to accurately estimate the damage done by Dr. Keyes in terms of persons who suffered adverse health effects by consumption of trans fats from margarine and vegetable shortening products instead of butter and lard. My own parents both had coronary by pass surgery; both thought margarine and vegetable shortening was the “healthy” choice.
Dr. Sjoberg,
My father had his 70s birthday last year. That was a tough one. He’s normally an upbeat guy, but was down and talking quite a bit about turning 70 years old. Then the articles by Dr. Emanual of passing away at 75 didn’t help matters. So it was wonderful and good timing to see Professor Kummerow’s article. I think dads 71st birthday will be smoother sailing. At least I’m hoping so!
Lets face it, Ancel Keys gave the manufacturers of such products a free and open rein and the US government a good deal of backhanders through connections with such manufacturers etc… is it any wonder that he may have changed his mind, but that they wouldn’t given the massive profits they could make?
To quote John Grisham (The Testament) “If you’re gonna be stupid you gotta be tough”. Although actually, Ancel Keyes can’t hide behind being stupid, so perhaps he was just a bully?
Nina Teicholz describes Keys ego-driven behaviour beautifully. It was arrogance and a determination to ‘prove’ his theory. It eventually became virtually impossible to question the theory and inconvenient evidence was buried or ignored. So much harm has been done and is still being done.
I hear the NHS is to stop prescribing many cancer drugs. Most likely the cost of all those statins….and the pricey PCSK9 inhibitors coming along.
I’ve been going to meetings at my local GPs for those with long term health conditions (arthritis in my case). You’ll be pleased to know that the constant dripping is wearing away at the stone – the nurse showed us the “Eatwell plate” and then told us that it was out of date, especially with regard to the amount of carbohydrate, and she mentioned that butter is now considered to be a safer option than spreads of various kinds…And it turned out that most of those present were refusing Statins! Well done Dr K – keep up the good work.
Dr. Kendrick, don’t kneel before the PC army and kiss their boots for no reason. There was absolutely nothing offensive about what you wrote and your apology should be removed from the article.
Well, I don’t like causing offence (unless I have targets in mind). I don’t know, damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
“Tranny” to me has always been a casual word for an auto or truck transmission. I’ve learned something new today.
I doubt you did cause much offence. Hugh has the right attitude and well done him. I’ve met quite a few trans-gender people and they always referred to themselves and friends as a ‘tranny’. They weren’t precious. We live in an age when some people seek something to be offended about.
Ah, good old Ancel Keys. Sadly I’ve come to believe he isn’t alone in medicine. There are likely others with similar tales in the medical field. Like most I grew up believing in a more idealized belief in how scientific ideas came out, with researchers working tirelessly for the benefit of others, and for themselves to a smaller degree too. I think more often than not in reality new theories and products promoted come down to force of personality, communicating well, backing and funding. Better ways need to be designed in how scientific ideas are reviewed I believe.
Saw the other day a cardiologist write about what happened when he asked patients follow a low carb, high fat diet. He goes into more detail in his article but basically he asked patients to stop eating wheat and other grains and to take a few supplements such as vitamin D3 and fish oil. The results he found were fantastic. As Dr. Davis wrote in his article:
“The Wheat Belly lifestyle BEGAN with heart health”
http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2015/09/the-wheat-belly-lifestyle-began-with-heart-health/
snippet:
“….And I stopped seeing heart attacks, heart symptoms, need for heart catheterizations, stents, and bypass surgery–coronary disease essentially came to a halt. Though my background was in heart procedures, I stopped doing them . . . because nobody needed them any longer. Five, six, seven, or eight procedures per day fell to zero. (You can also appreciate the indifference from my colleagues and hospitals, also, as their primary source of income is from heart procedures.)…”
I saw the other week McDonalds was coming out with cage free eggs. i was happy to see that. I’ve come to enjoy eating eggs once again.
And to make matters worse, he lived to 100 years old.
Sent from my iPad 2
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And, inconveniently for some no doubt, is still working. A thorn in the side of the ego/money driven madness who has successfully taken on the powers that be and made a difference.
I worked in a pharmacy a number of years ago but always remember something that struck me as odd. We sold glucose tablets for diabetics which in my mind was probably the worst thing to give a diabetic. But what do I know? Of course I learned that it might be necessary when the blood sugar went too low that a boost might be needed but still the idea somehow seemed ludicrous, giving someone the exact substance that they should avoid.
That would be for Type1, in case they had a hypo. Such as taking their insulin injection, and then not eating enough to balance it. Had a school friend we all watched over – this back in the ’50s.
If the sugar goes low enough you can lose consciousness and even die.
“. . . an ego the size of a planet. . .” Sums it up nicely. Thanks again for a wonderfully entertaining look at a very serious situation.
And to think, Keys was also behind K-rations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K-ration
Dr Bernstein, whose book on diabetes is absolutely inspirational, recommends glucose tablets because they have a known and predictable effect in raising Blood Glucose by precisely the amount you want them to (when you are keeping blood glucose very tightly within a target range) and unlike other things that you might prefer to eat to bring your blood glucose up (my brother prefers Werther’s Originals) you aren’t tempted to have a couple more. Esther, I really recommend Dr Bernstein, he is wonderful. Google him, Richard Bernstein Diabetes.
At last someone telling the truth. I had my first heart attack at 19 and was told I had a cholesterol level of 21. They gave me an appaulling muck called Question and told me I had to take it to save my life as it would destroy the bad fats in my food. (It wasn’t until 30 year later that I heard a consultant say it did no good at all) I have had every “wonder” drug and diet under the sun to “save my life” With one I took it for five years to have it suddenly taken from me when they found it “made patients go blind!” Constantly through the years I was told red meat and dairy produce was very bad for me and margarine was my saviour. Not to forget that carbs were the preferred food. Well now I am 63 and despite all these medical requirements I am still alive. Nine months ago I stopped eating margarine all together and use butter ( in moderate amounts) my cholesterol level has dropped from 6.5 to 5.8! The only trouble now is that I live with type 2 diabetes and I can’t get that under control. The medics give me metformin telling me it is the “saviour” medication and I will have to suffer the stomach cramps. I might even have to take injectable insulin as the level are still high. —-here we go again!!! Keep up the good work – you never know, eventually the truth might get through. Yours Richard Scoble
Richard
There is much information about T2 diabetes from Jason Fung. He maintains current treatment with metformin and insulin is wrong and that it can be controlled by diet and fasting. Try his YouTube lecture The Two Big Lies of Type 2 Diabetes.
Cstckdvd
Thank you for the link to this very convincing lecture by Jason Fung What he says actually corresponds to what we learnt from Prof. Unger’s research and his reward lecture discussed a while ago here at Dr. Kendrick’s blog. It seems to be about the beta cells being poisoned by fat. Relating to the topic of the present thread one may ask if the trans fats are more poisoning or if it is the PUFAs in general.
Well, what Fung is telling us we comfirmed personally in my family mainly by going very strict LCHF.
“Then it was realised that diabetics, who were more likely to develop heart disease than anyone else really, really, should not eat any sort of fat.”
You forgot the part about “diabetics, who were more likely to develop heart disease than anyone else really, really, should” . . . take statins. 🙂 Or did that come later?
No, diabetics really should eat carbs (glucose) and raise their blood glucose to save themselves from a heart attack. What a mixed up mess that is. I think people will look back with bewilderment.
Love ALL of your commentary!
What I think is ridiculous about this is that they had plenty of evidence against vegetable oils (not even transfats — just vegetable oils). Basically every study that studied the issue in detail and over a long period determined there was a higher rate of cancer for people replacing their “normal” fat with vegetable oils. It was so concerning that they had a meeting about it. Their conclusion? To ignore it.
I can’t remember whether this was in one or both of Gary Taubes’s books, or in Nina Teicholz’s book (or Uffe Ravnskov’s for that matter).
As a scientist at heart, I want things to be scientific. If data comes out that does not support your hypothesis, you seriously review that data to see if your hypothesis should be changed. Yet, no one does this. They simply assume they’re right and the data is wrong.
The following is a link to a woman who was a dietitian in a PhD program in Nutrition Epidemiology. When her research went against the current guidelines, she basically had to quit and find another program.
By the way, if you want to fritter away a few hours and read another funny review of these types of issues, all her articles are a hoot.
Bob, it’s definitely covered in Nina Teicholz’s book.
BobM
Good remark about vegetable oils!
As far as I remember sunflower oil (100 % omega 6 ?) was used successfully early in the history of kidney transplants since it effectively suppressed the immune system and allowed the body to keep the foreign organ. The problem was evidently that the patients developed cancer instead so this practice had to abandoned.
When we LCHF-adherents advocate fat we are very concerned about keeping away from the vegetable oils, especially the polyunsaturated ones. The preference is the long chain saturated or or the equally saturated short ones (MCT’s) in the coconut oil with their very special properties as fuel not least to the brain.
Got a link about the kidney transplant/immune system/seed oil stuff?
http://www.functionalps.com/blog/2011/09/22/polyunsaturated-fats-suppress-the-immune-system/
Does this provide links?
Ash,
Actually not – it was just on top of my head from something I read about years ago.
Still there is a logic. Omega 6 fats are among LCHF-people, in Sweden at least, known to down your immune response and thus to be avoided. These oils then seem, by the same logic, to open up for attacks from from whatever pathogens we are exposed to since our defence is down.
Funny, since we switched to LCHF six years ago we have no more experienced any serious colds or any flues which actually happened every year before. Might be that the carbs had a similar effect on our immune system.
I, too, remember reading about the use of sunflower oil with transplant patients, though it’s been a long time ago, and I have no links.
Funny that – so many people when giving up PUFA/carb-laden processed foods realise a few years later that they can’t remember the last time they were proper sick.
Folk who know I’m a high-fat carnivore are suprised when they find out carbohydrates aren’t my #1 dodge, but a certain kind of fat is, seems illogical. From my lifestyle manifesto:
– http://ashsimmonds.com/2014/08/01/what-i-eat/
“my diet is PROscriptive – it’s simply a matter of avoiding excess of the worst stuff.
In order of personal importance:
– seed oils (“canola”, soybean, etc)
– grains
– fiber (insoluble predominantly)
– sugar
Sidebar: I’m starch agnostic.
I see no logical reason to consume much of it, plus I prefer how I feel when ketogenic so I mostly avoid it, but I’m not militant about it, I do enjoy an occasional spud or other starchy veggie, but wouldn’t make a habit of it.”
Stephen Rhodes
Thank you for a perfect link!
Confirmes what I had on top of my head and may also explain why I have not suffered from any bad cold since I turned my back to the PUFAs.
Ash,
Looking at your manifesto it seems like you are a part of the growing world wide LCHF movement for health along the Hippocratic guidelines.
The latest LCHF-trend is now to make your own broth made out of stock from the bones, joints are here important, of grass fed cattle and to add some vegetables. We made it today and the broth is extremely tasty and a great treat for you health to our opinion. You need to cook or rather make the bones simmer for a day or so at low heat to be able to get the god fat released and to be able to remove the clean bones from the stock so to keep the important rest for the broth. We, though, do the cooking outdoor to keep the smell outside. On top the cost for this optimum food is ‘nothing’ except for your own effort.
That’s an interesting site, Bob. We need more like Adele Hite. Thank you.
Happy birthday! M
Marshall E. Deutsch 41 Concord Road Sudbury, MA 01776-2328 USA Tel: 1-978-443-5837
That was a wonderfully concise description of the mess that medical science is in right now!
I would make a couple of minor comments:
1) “Gradually trans-fats, which are also polyunsaturated fats,” – I don’t suppose there is any reason why a mono-unsaturated fat molecule should not have the trans configuration.
2) ” Hey ho, what happens to vegetable fats at high temperatures? Well, they turn into trans-fatty acids, of course. Who knew? Apart from all chemists in the world.” I think all chemists would know that the trans configuration would be more stable, but they probably wouldn’t know at what temperature this transition would take place unless they specialised in the chemistry of fats. If you heat up food sufficiently, all sorts of nasty chemicals get produced.
I certainly think it is undesirable for people to eat artificial chemicals in their food unless there is a good reason for those chemicals and they are well tested.
However, I do wonder whether it is actually possible to gain reliable evidence that trans fats are actually harmful. After all, if medical science couldn’t clearly identify that saturated fats were not harmful after so many years of study, the system of epidemiological studies of diet seems broken beyond repair!
Clearly trans fats can’t be deadly poisonous, otherwise we would not have a rising life expectancy. Is it really possible to demonstrate that trans fats in diet are actually significantly bad for us? For example, could it be that PUFA’s in general are not good for us?
After the animal experiments on saturated that turned out to have used rats bred to be intolerant of saturated fats, even animal experimentation seems dubious!
OK I played a bit fast and loose. Of course monounsaturated fats can be trans-fats. No, trans-fats have not killed us all, but we replaced completely healthy and natural fats with substances hardly seen in nature. Our enzymes and receptors and cell membranes have been configured around saturated fats and fats with cis-bonds. Now people are filling up with fats that must, by their very nature, interfere with the healthy functioning of human physiology. We live in a left handed cis-bond world. Trans fats don’t belong in that world, never did, never will do. Our bodies obviously do not immediately collapse on contact with any and all alien substances, but in time they do. As for increasing life expectancy – no longer in the over 75s in the UK. In this group life expectancy is falling.
Monounsaturated fats can be hydrogenated and will form trans fats. Once they are hydrogenated they are no longer monounsaturated. There are a few natural occur trans fats and humans seem to be able to metabolize them.
That depends on your terminology. A trans bond still means that two carbons are only bound to one hydrogen atom and each other. So a trans-bond monounsaturated fat must, by definition, still be an unsaturated fat.
Yes, I stand corrected trans orientation of hydrogen occurs during hydrogenation. Thus changes to shape of the fatty acid and apparently the melting point compared to the cis version.
Trans bonds are far less wobbly than cis bonds, so oils that are hydrogenated with trans bonds, turn into fats. That is the entire point of margarine (or it was).
My understanding is the trans fats are more rigid that nature unsaturated fats. It seems logical when they are incorporated into the phospholipids of the membrane bilayer that they will effect the manner in which the membrane functions.
Roger Perkins: (I can’t reply to your message directly…)
Maybe I don’t understand the chemistry, but I thought hydrogenating monounsaturated fat forms saturated fat, and that saturated fat can’t be either trans or cis by definition.
You are right. There cannot be a trans or cis bond in a saturated fat.
I made a error when I posted that trans fat has hydrogen added at every double bond of an unsaturated fat. That is not correct. A rearrangement occurs at some double bonds resulting in the hydrogen occurring in the trans configuration. The changes the shape of the fat molecule. The bottom line is these artificially hydrogenated fats are linked with adverse health effects and have been identified in tissues of individuals who had coronary heart disease as early as 1957. Ancel Keyes was one of the people who rudely disagreed with this data. Finally the ban of trans fats is on the books in the USA.
“the over 75s in the UK. In this group life expectancy is falling”: I’ve not seen that in the papers. Maybe being on statins for decades isn’t good for you.
It was in the papers, but then a deadly silence descended.
I’ve been predicting for some time now that life expectancy is/will be falling. Recently, I read that it has. After all, today’s 90-year-olds grew up in a different world. The diets didn’t go downhill until they were in middle age. Today’s young have no chance at a long life. Most of them are fat in childhood.
Yes, and the rise and rise of dementia in recent decades has nothing to do with tragic diet/statins, of course.
Malcolm, I agree with you – we should never have gone down the road of chemically modifying our basic foodstuffs!
I suppose I have become weary with all the messages that fit the template, “Scientists have discovered that eating X is good/bad for you. ”
I am sick of science grandstanding in this way, when it has made such a mess of things.
If they couldn’t get the absolute basics right – as you have so amply demonstrated – we need to fall back on a much more basic way of reasoning – basically what you are saying – eat food prepared from ingredients that your grandparents (or at least someone’s grandparents) would have eaten!
Eat real food. I think I heard that somewhere. Of course, we have to feed so many more people now. So It is more difficult. However, for your own health I think it is best to eat stuff that people a hundred years ago would have recognised as food. Too much processing, to many chemicals. The human body can deal with a lot, but at a certain point….bonk.
“Eat food that someone 100 years ago would have recognised”
Also be grateful that the horrendous food adulteration of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras has been pretty well sorted.
Also be very afraid that todays commercially produced “foods” are just as nasty in a different way.
We have turned a lot of corners, but not actually come very far. Today is pessimism day.
“However, I do wonder whether it is actually possible to gain reliable evidence that trans fats are actually harmful.”
Wasn’t there a bunch of animal studies done that it was claimed showed how harmful saturated fats were, but it turned out the experimenters were using transfat laden hydrogenated stuff?
I’m quite curious myself about the degrees of hydrogenation that might be actually safe. For example partially hydrogenated fat is much more likely to contain trans-fats than fully hydrogenated. So forced to pick between the two, it might be safer to pick the fully hydrogenated one, which seems counter intuitive to say the least.
Much of the research on the effects of trans fat in the diet since 1957 has come from Dr. Fred Kummerow at the University of Illinois; he was my graduate school advisor. That 1957 data was from humans with coronary heart disease; the tissues contained significant levels of trans fats.
Personally I do not eat partially hydrogenated oil or products containing it.
You hung with Dr Kummerow?! That guy is amazing. If there’s anyone I’m going to listen to about this sort of thing, it’s a scientist who’s 100 and looks as well as he does. I heard he was still doing research too.
Dr. Kummerow’s 101st birthday is October 4, 2015. He told me now the trans fat ban is on the books that he will shift the focus of his research elsewhere.
Long may he continue.
Are you thinking of Axen and Axen? The abstract claimed saturated fat but the full paper showed the fat was Crisco supplied by Proctor and Gamble who sponsored the studies.
Excellent article !! ( and funny!)
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
From:”Dr. Malcolm Kendrick” Date:Thu, 17 Sep, 2015 at 5:58 am Subject:[New post] Tranny fats ha ha ha
Dr. Malcolm Kendrick posted: “Many years ago a man, who they say, had an ego the size of a planet decided that he just knew what caused heart disease. It was cholesterol consumption in the diet that raised blood cholesterol and killed us all. Unfortunately, for him, he did some resear”
This should brighten our day. Today(18/9/15), the Los Angeles Times, reports that a new drug called ‘Empaglifozin’ marketed as ‘Jardiance’, drives down the likelihood that diabetic patients will suffer or die of heart attack, stroke or heart failure if they have cardiovascular disease. The study found that those taking ‘Jardiance’ were 35% less likely to be hospitalised (OK, hospitaliZed for our American cousins) for heart failure than those who took a placebo. And they were 32% less likely to die of ANY CAUSE!!
WOW! Reminds me of ‘Queen’s’ Brian May song ‘Who wants to live forever’. Where can I get me some?
Leigh: “Empaglifozin.” Good grief! The only appropriate response to a word like that is “Gesundheit!” 🙂
One wonders what was in those placebos.
Not so fast!
Here’s a nice analysis of data on ‘Jardiance’:
http://diabetesupdate.blogspot.de/2015/09/cutting-through-jardiance-study-hype-be.html
Leigh, my understanding is that the study, paid for by Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim, involved 7000 people with T2 diabetes who already had CVD. Half were given the drug (Jardiance) and the other half a placebo. After three years 3.7 % of those taking Jardiance died from cardiovascular complications compared with 5.9 percent of those taking a placebo – a difference of 2.2%. Yet again the drug companies report relative risk and not absolute.
No doubt. But (just whimsy!), according to the article, 32% who took the drug where less likely to die of ANY CAUSE. Just liked the idea of never dying :-).
Just imagine, infinite time to get to see Liverpool FC crowned English champions again 😦
I take offense at the word “apology” because it sounds too greek.
Perhaps french fries cooked with lard are more satiating than fries cooked in those weird oils they use. Therefore, If I was in the business of selling deep fried foods, I would prefer to sell deep fried foods that were less satiating, so that people would have to buy more. So, perhaps McDonald’s was forced to make unhealthy food, but they were able to live with it. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Another thing. I’ve heard that vegetable fats yield a better profit margin than animal fats, even though the manufacture of oils is more expensive. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why they had to tell people to stop consuming animal fats. Governments tend to act as large scale salesmen, of all kind of bizarre things. But, unlike any other salesman, they are only thinking in clients best interests…
I will buy McDonald’s Fries when they cook them in lard or tallow. Just for fun.
Well, at least they don’t use GM potatoes!
I know a trans-gender person and he calls himself a “tranny.”
I believe I told you all how I solved my T2 diabetes and weight problem by eating to my meter, ensuring my blood sugars never went over 7.8, lately for perfection 6.5, (i.e. non diabetic levels).
Last weight I reported was 12.5 stone, BMI 25.
However, I can’t maintain that weight, it is dropping still. Last weight 12.2 stone, despite eating about 2500 cals per day, lots of fat, about 70g protein, right for my weight.
All my friends are telling me to stop losing weight. That’s what women do, I find. One even admitted it was jealousy.
However, I don’t have anorexia, I love my food, I eat as much carb as I can get away with, keeping my blood sugars normal. I feel as fit as a fiddle (have taken on my acre of neglected garden and loving it).
I eat home cooked, high fat, low carb. Olive oil, butter, nut fats (cannot stand the taste of coconut flour/oil. Coconut oil DOES taste of coconut, no matter what they tell you).
Trans fats have not entered my home for 18 months.
Well I have 2 stone to go before I could be classed as underweight. I must say i am loving being a normal size for the first time in 40 years.
Should I worry?
I don’t expect an answer from Dr K, what do you other savvy readers think?
Will I fade away on low carb/high fat?
It’s an extraordinary position to be in. From a fatty to someone who can’t keep weight on!
Liz, I don’t think you need to worry. I think I eat pretty well the way you do. After a slow start my weight starting dropping….and dropping….and I got a bit concerned as I have IPF and wondered if it was partly due to that. However, my hubby who has joined me on this diet journey has lost the same amount of weight which is reassuring, he didn’t think he was overweight but has lost his gut which was quite rounded, and feels so much better with more energy. I didn’t go low carb primary because of weight but for gastric reflux which has totally gone. My starting weight 2 years ago was 154lbs and now I am 124lbs, and don’t want to go any lower. It it seems to have stabilised which is good, because eating this way I couldn’t eat more if I tried, once my body decides it’s had enough then that’s it, I couldn’t choke any more food down if I tried. We usually only eat once a day, a good high fat meal with veggies and often sauerkraut on the side, around noon, and maybe have a snack later, maybe not. Just don’t feel the need. Interestingly (for me anyway) a couple of weeks ago I tried making my own sourdough bread to increase my carbs a bit. I read that sourdough has a lower glycemic index and the fermentation makes more vits and minerals available. Well, such anticipation as it was baking! And such disappointment, it tasted good but kind of bland, and the strange thing was that it was very unsatisfying and yet we both ate two or three slices before we realised how it was affecting us,.That evening I had reflux, first time in two years. So, too bad so sad, no more sourdough or bread of any kind for us. I’ ve decided that my weight will be what it wants to be, and will deal with it if it gets much lower than I want.
Dr, keep eating right as you do and at some point you’ll hit your natural weight and stay there, if you continue eating the same way. That’s what happened to me without effort or planning. I stopped losing weight and it doesn’t go up. It’s where most of us would be in a sane world.
What do jealousy about your success say about other women? It’s a very mixed up business.
Liz, no I don’t think you’ll fade away. Assuming that you are not suffering from some unknown problem you will eventually stabilize at what is the correct weight for your body. People get fat primarily because they consume far too much carbohydrate dense junk food that the industry passes off as being nutritious when it’s anything but. Too many people do not understand basic nutrition and think that anything that stops them feeling hungry is okay. In many cases the people themselves are to blame, but it’s clear that many others are confused by contradictory advice from numerous sources.
The number of calories you consume, as long as they are not provided by excessive carbohydrate, have very little to do with your weight. One of my pet peeves is the obsession about calories intake by most people advising on weight loss i.e. the calories in, calories out nonsense. All of this is based on the first law of thermodynamics and completely ignores the second law. Food (nutritious food) maintains the body as well as providing energy so to think of food in pure calorie terms is incorrect – plus quite a few calories pass straight through so clearly can have no effect on weight.
Huge number of books available on diet however I often recommend two books by Barry Groves for clear practical advice, which overlap to some extent, that are worth reading by health conscious people. First, Natural Health & Weight Loss ISBN 9781905140152 and secondly Trick & Treat ISBN 9781905140220. You may also like Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes ISBN 9780307949431.
A LCHF approach is the way to go (personally I aim to consume 1 gram of protein per kilo of body weight and up to 1.5 grams if exercising more than normal). Don’t worry about fat intake as long as it’s good fat. I eat and drink what I like, without consciously thinking about calories, and never feel hungry. I’m 1.83 metres in height and have maintained a weight of 77 kg give or take the odd kilo (always goes up on holiday) for the past 25 years having previously weighed 85 / 90 kg following the perceived wisdom of the times (1980’s) which I slowly realized was completely wrong.
Surprised that you find the taste of coconut oil so strong. My family has used it for many years and nobody has commented that it has tainted the flavour of food. Perhaps try a different brand?
As for any jealous friends you can try educating them but it’s often a uphill (vertical) battle to get them to change their embedded ideas.
Dr. K: Do you think you could give me your opinion regarding what you think of cod liver oil, and the stuff called “fermented” cod liver oil? Appreciate anything you would offer.
Sorry, I know nothing about it
Having a huge health crisis “blow up” here in the States regarding this. Some people think of the fermented cod liver oil (FCLO) as the greatest stuff since sliced bread, others (like myself) consider it rancid and questionable. Heads rolled at Weston A. Price this week after Dr. Kaayla Daniel (who was the VP at WAPF) released her report on the rancidity issue and a couple of other things. Dr. Ron Schmid took the
FCLO for a long long long time, albeit he took too much, and feels his current problem with heart disease came from the consumption of that oil. He is, to my knowledge, not blaming CLO, just the fermented kind produced by Green Pastures. Since Mary Enig is no longer around to help with this conflict, and Chris Masterjohn wrote a lukewarm review, it’s hard to get a handle on whether or not anyone should be consuming this stuff. You can read the last four or five blog posts at The Complete Patient dot com and check it out if you wish.
I really would like to know, as a cardiologist, what you think of this nightmare. Dr. Daniel has been ousted from her position at WAPF for standing up to what she believes, and Dr. Ron Schmid has been vilified by them, as well. I think they are going to work together (with a few others) to start a new “institute or foundation or organization” (still up in the air at this point) to continue to disseminate good nutritional information. WAPF is starting to falter, for sure, and there is talk of ousting Sally Fallon Morell as the President because of her lopsided stance on this issue (she is supporting Green Pastures over Dr. Daniels for some unknown, but likely monetary, reason).
It’s been interesting to follow. This morning one of the biggest supporters and donors to WAPF has pulled his support, which is the newest post at the blog I mentioned above. Jehosaphat! Thought you might be interested in this since some of your readers seem to know about Weston A. Price Foundation.
Sundancer, this link may be helpful:
http://blog.cholesterol-and-health.com/2015/08/weighing-in-on-fermented-cod-liver-oil.html
There’s a sequel to this sad and sorry story.
Reaching for a replacement for the now-dreaded trans fats, the food industry decided on – not animal fats obviously – but on palm oil, which is nicely saturated and behaves like margarine should. Palm oil unfortunately is most easily grown in the places where orangutans live. Or used to live.
Thus not only has the phobia against eating animal fats doomed many hapless humans, it has also hastened to extinction one of our more endearing relatives.
What’s wrong with lard, I ask!?! It should be perfect for crusts, if you still eat that.
I’m having a really hard time getting decent pork-belly, most of the time this stuff is so darn lean, the pigs must be anorexic. That’s not natural.
There are a few natural trans fats found in ruminants, but we have been eating ruminants for a very very long time.
We probably didn’t evolve to have the majority of our dietary fat as hexane extracted omega 6 either.
Robert, blame all the fat-phobes. The market has simply gone with what they think people want and will buy, so pork is leaner now. I remember some years ago, pork being advertised as “The other white meat.” Pork chops, which I used to love, are like shoe leather.
I don’t know where you live, but I stumbled onto some lard in a pint jar, sold by an outfit called “Fatworks.” It’s good. And not hydrogenated like the commercial lard is.
And ignore anyone who says that lard is saturated fat. Lard has slightly more monounsaturated fat than saturated, and also has a fair amount of polyunsaturated fat.
Credit Suisse team of analysts recently published an interesting document on the future of fats: “Fat: The New Health Paradigm”. And I think they are right in their prognosis! “We are at a turning point” they say. Worth reading (PDF 9MB):
https://doc.research-and-analytics.csfb.com/docView?language=ENG&source=ulg&format=PDF&document_id=1053247551&serialid=MFT6JQWS%2b4FvvuMDBUQ7v9g4cGa84%2fgpv8mURvaRWdQ%3d
Everyone should read this report. Quite stunning
Ari, Thank you for that link. Very informative and something that gives me hope that we can get some sense and logic into diet advice.
I have been constantly knocked down in my earlier medical/nutritional believes and have today finally ended up with a new one telling me that the ONLY fats that seem to be safe are the saturated ones. (As being a chemist there is a profound logic to me in their innocent saturated neutrality as chemical entities.)
What really knocked me down today and this very morning was the following retracted (typically?) physiologically and fundamentally challenging paper about the benefits of fish oil DHA/EPA supplements as being an industrial scam and rather claiming that they as other PUFAs boost cancer and especially malign prostate cancer.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3914521/#sec18title
Where is this going to end with no more dogmas to believe in?
I tend not to believe anything pumped out by US government departments without independent support (too much corruption, vested interests etc.). My prime source of information on fats is Mary Enig’s Know Your Fats (ISBN 0967812607). Chris Masterjohn is another reliable source.
I wish it is not true, because if omega3 fatty accids are evil, then governments would kill all fish on the planet, and prohibit the cultivation and consumption of nuts, and cows would not be allowed to eat pasture, in order to protect the public from the many dangers of PUFAs.
After all, Governments are there to protect us, and they would never do anything wrong, because they have all the smart guys on the payroll. They protect us from corporations, banks, terrorists, wars, bad science, medical malpraxis, poverty, illiteracy, hunger, death, and dental cavities. And they make the Sun rise every day. It was a great day when the UNO invented the Sun, following the wise advice of Al Gore.
Seriously though. anything good any goverment does, is discredited by all the other things it does wrong. I would like to see the good things to be separated and purified from the bad things. One way would be to stop doing the bad things. What a crazy idea!
Ari, thank you for the link to a great report. Here’s what the report says about saturated fat (page 33):
Saturated fats: the wrong target
One of the biggest myths in nutrition is that saturated fat intake above a certain level—say 10% based on most dietary guidelines—significantly increases your risk of heart attack. This conclusion that has held for almost half a century is inconsistent with the wealth of epidemiological data or scientific evidence in the form of clinical randomized trials. Plenty of research funding has been earmarked to study and back this hypothesis, yet we cannot find a single research paper written in the last ten years that supports this conclusion. On the contrary, we can find at least 20 studies that dismiss this hypothesis.
We logged calls to both the World Health Organization (WHO) and American Heart Association (AHA) asking for evidence behind the rather negative statements on saturated fats on their websites without much success. As research analysts, we believe that rational analysis based on solid data should be the backbone of any conclusion.
Based on our analysis, here are our main conclusions:
Saturated fats are a healthy source of energy and have NO negative implications for your heart (or other organs).
Saturated fat intake increases HDL-c and makes LDL-c particles (measured by Apo B) larger, reducing CVD risk.
A high level of saturated fats in plasma blood—not a good thing—is driven by the amount of carbohydrates we eat, not by the amount of saturated fat we eat.
I know, I thought it was a dream.
Off topic – but take a look at this, so funny and props up your swimming pool hypothesis, Dr K.
Gillian
gillpurple, that is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time. Thanks for posting it.
Drug reps, another link in the chain of hazardous-to-our-health. Yes, there’s now a web site for checking our doctors’ acceptance of the drug reps’ “gifts.” Now we need some accountability from the drug companies — what about a site listing their gifts to various doctors? Or what about publishing the actual schooling and background of each of the reps? That shouldn’t be too difficult.
Another way the drug companies improve their bottom line is with those drug samples. It’s my understanding that if a person has a bad side effect from a drug, they can’t sue the company if they’ve used a sample, because there’s no record of their purchase of the drug. Sneaky.
Wonderful Don’t usually watch things like that. Absolutely true though – a comic edition of Dr Marcia Angell author of “,The Truth about Drug Companies“.
Another book “ Confessions of an Rx Drug Pusher” by Gwen Olsen (a very successful detailer/drug rep) confirms what Oliver describes.
Many thanks – a great laugh
Ari,
Thanks for that. What a terrific piece of work. Made my day.
Reference John U:
Thank you for your comments.
You are correct in stating that polyethylene teraphthalate (PE) , Type I containers, do not contain bisphenol A , nor other phthalates, BUT they do contain antimony, which is considered a possible human carcinogen. Continued reuse of Type I containers can also result in bacteria build up.
In reference to PVC, polyvinyl chloride containers, they do contain PHTHALATES. These are Type 3 containers and can be plasticized or not. Clear PVC Is softer and clear, where as the later may not and are more rigid. Not only are fruit juices sold in these containers, but in particular most cooking oils. Also in reference to PVC is the substantial use of plasticizers in ALL clear packaging rapping of for example meats. The FDA acceptable ppm’s for these compounds is at variance with some experimental science on safe levels as well.
Therefore I don’t believe that you can categorically dismiss my plasticizer concerns.
Regarding plasticizers being leached from plastic and their lipid solubility, there is a fascinating body of literature on this in reference to WADA and blood doping in elite endurance athletes. All of us have varying measurable levels of plasticizers in our urine. If you give an athlete a liter or two of saline for rehydration, the urine concentration does not change. If an athlete blood dopes and receives a single unit of blood over 30 minutes, the following day the level of plasticizers will be up to 10 fold higher in concentration. There is enough of a lip phase in whole blood to leach out these measurable organic molecules from the IV tubing.
Regarding EVCO being mostly saturated, and to a lesser degree EVOO, such that on that bases alone you feel that one can dismiss oxidation and rancidity of oils, that is a complex and vast topic for discussion.
Integrating both our perspectives, then let me amend my concern to;
” The consumption of oils, and nut butters which are sold in plastic containers, which may contain plasticizers shown to have significant health risks, should be carefully considered ! Before proceeding, one needs to be knowledgeable about the “Type” of plastic containers which are “considered” safe. Checking the “Type” of plastic container is essential prior to purchase. Based on current, but moving target labeling by the Food Giants and fluctuating FDA regulations, Type 2 ,4, and 5 ARE SAFE. Type ! DOES contain antimony, and Type 3 may or may not contains phthalates. All shrink raps have a high content of plasticizers. ”
With Respect to all concepts and opinions;
J.A.Winfield, MD.PHD.
We have a group of people who cannot control their blood sugar levels, so we tell them to eat almost nothing but sugar.
After I retired, I followed the official advice on food, hicarb, lofat, margarines/spreads, reduced saturated fats, no eggs, fruit, veg and bread(whole grain). Despite increased exercise I gained weight – got diabetes. Takeaways a very rare event! Asked questions from the Trust nutritionist and realised the absence of cogent thinking. Went back to a sensible diet (reduced CHO) butter,eggs, saturated fats of all kinds. Too late to undo the damage but feel well and extremely skeptical of Big Pharma and the “compliant??” medical establishment. Recent revelations (eg Study 329 Starfield, B. JAMA, July 26, 2000—Vol 284, No. 4 483 “Is US Health Really the Best in the World?” and many, many others has left me highly skeptical of the medical establishment and their “guidelines” aka Directives.
I looked at all the papers from 80s, 90s and 2000s: the scientific evidence against trans-fats is actually quite weak. There is not one single biochemical piece of evidence that would show us why trans fats should be bad.
As a matter of fact, dairy and meat contain trans fats. They have been eaten for millennia and are perfectly healthy. Even those African tribes that consume *lots* of trans fats are perfectly healthy.
Remeber: US consumption of trans fats is below 2g per day. Meanwhile, US average consumption of sugar is 100 to 200g per day….
Transfats are a scapegoat and a smokescreen. The same people that attacked saturated fat also attacked trans fat.
It was hoax once again.
Please review “Occurrence of trans fatty acids in human tissue” Science. 1957;126:698-99 Johnston PV, Johnson, OC and Kummerow, FA as a starting point. Then follow with other publications from F. A. Kummerow in the intervening years for additional information on trans fatty acids much is summarized in “Cholesterol Won’t Kill You But Trans Fat Could” F.A. Kummerow with J. M. Kummerow, 2008 ISBN: 978-1-4251-38-8-0. The evidence about trans fatty acids has been in the literature for 58 years.
Thanks Roger. That trans fatty acids are found in tissue of animals who produce or eat them (including humans) is obvious and has never been denied. After all, that’s why we find them in dairy and beef! That’s why we find them plentiful in tissue of African tribes that consume lots of dairy and meat. Thing is, it has never been found that this is something harmful.
If you would like to argue that natural trans fats are fine, but artificial trans fats are bad, you would have to show that they are not only bad, but worse than cis Omega-6 PUFA, from which trans fats are produced. Because we already know that cis Omega-6 PUFA are pro-inflammatory. So are trans fats even more pro-inflammatory? Or perhaps less so? Or do they have other detrimental effects?
There is no evidence on this. Absolutely zero.
“Not who is right, but what is true.” Livingston C. Lord
In one of his most recent papers, Kummerow himself writes that trans fats are not the main issue:
“Levels of oxysterols and OxLDL increase primarily as a result of three diet or lifestyle factors: the consumption of oxysterols from commercially fried foods such as fried chicken, fish, and french fries; oxidation of cholesterol in vivo driven by consumption of excess polyunsaturated fatty acids from vegetable oils; and cigarette smoking. Along with the consumption of trans fatty acids from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, these diet and lifestyle factors likely underlie the persistent national burden of heart disease.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3584645/
He is correct that LDL is not the issue, but oxLDL is. He is correct that PUFAs from vegetable oils are more prone to oxdiation than animal SFA. However, he forgets the number one cause of LDL glycoxidation: sugar, especially fructose (which is why diabetics have a much higher risk of heart disease).
The only thing he has to say about trans fats is this: “Cigarette smoke and trans fatty acids, found in partially hydrogenated soybean oil, both inhibit the synthesis of prostacyclin, which inhibits blood clotting. By increasing the ratio of thromboxane to prostacyclin, these factors interact to interrupt blood flow, thereby contributing to heart attack and sudden death.”
So this is not even about atherosclerosis. Plus, the same is true for Omega-6 PUFA, from which TFAs are produced. So this is not a issue of TFAs, but of excess Omega-6 PUFAs, i.e. vegetable oils. Which was known all along.
Again: No evidence against trans fats.
Dr. Kummerow like other researchers is acknowledging the disease is multi-factorial.
Trans fats by their molecular configuration alter the structure of membranes. Structure influences function.
I love this one especially: very straight to the point!
But:
regarding the formation of transfats by heating up PUFAs, I would like to point to a comment by Mary Enig, which says that this is simply not possible.
Here’s the link:
http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/trans-fatty-acids-are-not-formed-by-heating-vegetable-oils/
This doesn’t change a lot, since PUFAs are bad enough in their own right, even without transfats…