Next to cholesterol, the main dietary demon is saturated fat. For several decades the American public has been warned that sat-fat will clog coronary arteries and lead to heart attacks.
Foods that have been targeted include butter, egg yolk, meat, cheese, ice cream, milk, cocoa butter, coconut oil and palm oil. Now an interventional cardiologist writing in BMJ (Online, Oct. 22, 2013) says, “Saturated fat is not the major issue.” Instead, this physician writes, “scientific evidence shows that this advice has, paradoxically, increased our cardiovascular risks.”
This is heresy of the highest order, but the science is surprisingly solid. Cutting back on saturated fat in the diet is supposed to lower bad LDL cholesterol. It does, but the type of LDL lowered by reducing sat-fat is not very dangerous. It is larger particles that are less likely to cause damage in coronary arteries. The other type of LDL cholesterol, the small dense particles, increase when the diet is higher in carbohydrates. When people cut back on fat, they tend to increase their carb intake.
The benefits of saturated fats from dairy products, for example, are often overlooked. Fatty acids found in milk products are linked to higher levels of good HDL cholesterol and lower levels of triglycerides, the inflammatory marker C reactive protein and insulin resistance (Annals of Internal Medicine, Dec. 21, 2010).
Meat has also been vilified, but a meta-analysis found that “consumption of unprocessed red meat (eg, unprocessed meat from beef, pork, lamb) was not associated with risk of coronary heart disease or diabetes mellitus” (Circulation, June 1, 2010).
Such research seems to disappear without a trace because it defies dietary dogma. That’s why we continue to get questions like this one:
“I’ve been hearing about the health benefits of coconut oil. It’s reputed to raise HDL levels, ward off infection and increase metabolism due to the high concentration of lauric acid. The doctor said to stay away because of the saturated fat. What’s your opinion?”
Coconut oil has become very popular because it is less susceptible to oxidation. Over three decades ago a natural experiment was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Aug. 1981). The investigators found that Polynesians eating high amounts of coconut did not have elevated risks of heart disease.
One diet continues to shine. The Mediterranean diet has been shown repeatedly to reduce the risk of heart disease (New England Journal of Medicine, April 4, 2013; Current Atherosclerosis Reports, Dec., 2013). A large study in Spain demonstrated that a Mediterranean diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil or in nuts outperformed the low-fat control diet in reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke (Diabetes Care, Nov., 2013).
Many people wonder what exactly a Mediterranean diet looks like. It is rich in vegetables, fruits, fish, and legumes, high in fat and includes some meat and wine. There are details about specific vegetables and fish included in the diet in our book, The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies, available online at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
