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FACING THE FACTS ABOUT SATURATED FATS, HEART DISEASE, &
CANCER
Stephen Byrnes, ND, RNCP
Published in Health Naturally (Canada); Explore! (USA), at various times.
Current dietary wisdom tells us to avoid fat, especially saturated fat, for
it is believed that fat consumption contributes to cardiovascular disease and
arteriosclerosis, as well as a host of other degenerative diseases, most notably
obesity and cancer. Animal fats have taken the most beating in the last few
decades with butter being virtually exiled from the North American diet. Low, or
non-fat, foods such as skim milk, fat-free yogurt, and the more recent fatless
snack foods made with Olestra have been the rage for some time now. With the
advent of the saturated fat scare, palm and coconut oil, formerly widely used in
baked goods, have been replaced with various vegetable oils. Like butter,
coconut oil has been banished to the nutritional "junk pile," and so-called
"dietetics experts" assured us that polyunsaturated vegetable oils (e.g., corn,
safflower, sunflower, cottonseed, etc) were more "heart healthy" and could
provide us with all of our nutritional requirements for fatty acids. As we all
know, margarine widely replaced butter in the past decades; a result of
establishment nutritional advice.
It appears, however, that the "experts" have steered us wrong. In a ghastly
display of arrogance, people have presumed to be able to "outdo" Mother Nature
in the food department. Despite the fact that butter, whole milk products,
coconut oil, and animal fats have nourished human beings for several thousands
of years, these healthy foods have been relegated and replaced by new-fangled
concoctions of very questionable nutritional value. How did such an unusual
state of affairs come about? Are saturated fats really harmful? Do they cause
heart disease and cancer? Are there any health benefits in saturated fats? Read
on. The answers might surprise you.
WHAT PEOPLE REALLY EAT
Those familiar with native diets around the world know that saturated fat
forms an essential and vital part of many diets. The Masai, and related tribes
in East Africa, consume a diet almost completely composed of beef, milk, and
blood. At some parts of the year, a typical Masai warrior will consume up to 10
quarts of whole, raw cow's milk a day. The Masai are noted for their tall
stature and great endurance. Heart disease, obesity, diabetes,
osteoporosis, and cancer are unknown to the Masai. The Eskimos are another good
example of a people who have historically thrived off of a diet largely composed
of animal products, including huge amounts of blubber (fat) from various marine
animals. Given the climate they live in, Eskimos are not frequent consumers of
either grains, fruits, or vegetables. Eskimos who have not abandoned their
native diet have virtually no incidence of heart disease, cancer,
arteriosclerosis, osteoporosis, or diabetes. Some studies have appeared in
recent years attempting to show that Eskimos suffer from bone loss due to their
high protein diets, but such studies have been discredited: researchers noted
that only those Eskimos who abandoned their native diet for "civilized" food and
alcohol suffered from calcium loss.
More examples could be adduced to prove that saturated fat consumption, even
when very high, is not implicated in heart disease or cancer, but these few
should suffice. Despite this, the prevailing dietary opinion is that saturated
fat is bad and should be avoided. How did such an odd idea come about?
THE KEY TO THE ISSUE
Was a researcher named Ancel Keys. Keys proposed in the late 1950's that
there was a direct relationship between the amount of saturated fat in the diet
and the incidence of coronary heart disease and certain cancers. Though not many
are aware of it, numerous subsequent studies seriously questioned Keys' data and
conclusions. Nevertheless, Keys' articles received far more publicity than the
studies that contradicted him. The vegetable oil and food processing industries,
the main beneficiaries of Keys' theories, began promoting and funding research
designed to support those theories. This research shows, supposedly, that
saturated fat consumption is strongly correlated with some cancers and heart
disease. Unfortunately, these studies did not take into account two things in
the diets of their subjects: hydrogenated fat and refined sugar consumption. As
we shall shortly see, it is these things which are the real culprits of our
society's current health problems.
THE REAL VILLAINS
In nature, sugars occur in foods rich in other nutrients essential to life.
Some of the sweetest foods, for example corn and beets, have high amounts of B
complex vitamins, chromium, and manganese, all nutrients essential for glucose
metabolism. But when the sugars in these healthy foods are removed by refining,
they now exist apart from their nutrients. When the body confronts this
skeletonized sugar in the digestive tract and bloodstream, it must now get
together the necessary nutrients to deal with it. In short, consuming refined
sugars taps the body's nutrient reserves. Before the 20th century, refined sugar
consumption was very low. In 1821, for example, the average North American
consumed 10 pounds of sugar a year. Today, it is up to 170 pounds and climbing.
Not surprisingly, rates of cancer, diabetes, dental caries, candidiasis,
attention deficit disorder, arteriosclerosis, kidney and liver disease, tumors
(tumors are enormous sugar absorbers), and osteoporosis have exploded in the
last few decades. With regards to cardiovascular disease, excess sugars are
quickly converted by the liver into substances called triglycerides. Elevated
blood triglycerides have been positively correlated with proneness to heart
disease. One must realize that the liver will convert ANY excess simple sugar
into triglycerides, even fructose from fruit. Fruit and fruit juice consumption,
therefore, should be moderate. Again, we can use native diets as our guide. As a
rule, native diets are low in sugar, even natural ones like fruit, honey, and
maple syrup. These natural sugars are healthful in measured amounts, but
refined, processed sugar needs to be avoided like the plague.
Refined vegetable oils, including margarine, are not healthy for a variety of
reasons. Margarine is rich in harmful trans-fatty acids, a "phony" fat that
inhibits your cells ability to utilize essential fatty acids. This causes a host
of undesirable side effects such as sexual dysfunction, cancer, and paralysis of
the immune system. Consumption of margarine and vegetable shortening is
associated with several diseases, including arteriosclerosis and cancer.
Refined vegetable oils are usually made rancid by processing and rancid oils
breed one thing: free radical damage of your blood vessels and body cells
leading to arteriosclerosis and cancer, among other diseases. Most people think
that saturated fat clogs arteries, but studies have shown that the fatty acids
in artery clogs are about 75% unsaturated of which about 40% are
polyunsaturated!
SOME HEALTHY SATURATED FATS
Butter: Butter truly is better. Besides being an excellent source of
fat-soluble vitamins, butter is rich in lecithin (needed for fat metabolism),
trace minerals (particularly selenium), arachidonic acid (needed for
prostaglandin production), and short and medium chain fatty acids that the body
uses for energy. Butter also contains butyric and lauric acids, both
antitumorigenic, antifungal, and antimicrobial substances. Studies have shown
that vitamins and minerals from vegetables are better absorbed when eaten with
butter. Butter also provides the intestines with the fatty material needed to
convert carotenes from plants into vitamin A so be sure to butter your
vegetables, yams, and winter squashes.
Stearic Acid: Mostly found in lamb and beef tallow, stearic acid is THE
preferred fuel source for the heart. That's right, despite current dietary
wisdom telling us that fat is bad for the heart, the heart excels at converting
fatty acids into energy for itself. Lamb tallow is also rich in oleic acid,
another very beneficial fat for the cardiovascular system. Palm oil, lard, and
olive oil are also rich in oleic acid.
Coconut oil: Coconut oil is loaded with lauric acid. As with butter, most of
the saturated fat in coconut oil is of the short and medium chain variety which
means coconut oil is not fattening, but used for energy. Because of its high
saturated fat content, coconut oil is very stable under high temperatures, ideal
for cooking and baking.
Far from causing cancer or heart disease, a healthy person needs to make room
for saturated fats in their diet. Avoiding them could do more harm than good;
but avoiding sugar, margarine, and vegetable oils is always good advice.
Reprinted with permission of the author.
Stephen Byrnes is a naturopath and nutritionist. His website, http://www.powerhealth.net,
is your one Internet stop for info on home study programs in nutrition & natural
therapies, free newsletter, and accurate nutritional and living guides. Pay a
visit today!
SOURCES:
Eat Right or Die Young by Dr. Cass Igram (Literary Visions Publishing; 1989)
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, MA, Mary Enig, PhD, and Patricia Connolly
(ProMotion Publishing; 1995)
Nutrition & Physical Degeneration by Weston Price, DDS (Keats Publishing;
1943) Available from the Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation, 1-800-FOODS4U.
Eat Your Cholesterol by William Campbell Douglass (1985)
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