Saturated fat does not clog the arteries

There are many people who blindly believe what others say simply because it goes against the accepted norm.

There are also people who believe the accepted norm because it is...the accepted norm.

This blog is all about analysis, about presenting different views, about THINKING before believing.

Please read this Journal article by Malhotra and others. Ask yourself whether these populists have books to sell, lectures to charge for, media exposure to welcome and encourage. Ask yourself also whether what they say is true.

Here is the paper

Also ask yourself what the effect might be on people who believe what they are saying:

a. If their analysis is correct

b. If their analysis is wrong

We are talking about quality of life on the one hand but life and death on the other.

Here is a reaction:

Prof. Naveed Sattar, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Glasgow, said:

“Malhotra and colleagues question saturated fat and suggest the LDL-cholesterol hypothesis is over emphasised.  They could not be more wrong.

“To make their arguments they cite observational data – which is bizarre, since not only are such findings prone to many biases such that the results can often be incorrect, but more importantly plentiful randomised trial data (gold standard evidence) show lowered saturated fats lower cholesterol and risk of heart attacks.  So the evidence to lower saturated fat is robust.

“Likewise, the evidence for LDL-cholesterol as a risk factor for heart disease is also robust and supported by over 20 randomised trial worldwide which show statins and now other agents with lower LDL-cholesterol also lower heart attacks and strokes.  It is also supported by genetic data, since many individuals with high cholesterol as a result of their genes have substantially elevated heart attack risks.  In a bigger context, around half of the reductions seen in heart attack rates over the last 2-3 decades is due to better treatment of risk factors – cholesterol, blood pressure and smoking being the three dominant ones.

“The authors should concentrate on the best evidence and be more rigorous in their appraisals. To not do so is misleading to the public and creates confusion for those who are less able to access or understand such evidence.  Simply because they have the title of doctors does not mean they are correct and the public need to be wary of advice which seems to contradict national guidelines in areas of relevance since such guidelines accumulate the best evidence to make recommendations on areas related to health.

“Malhotra and colleagues are correct however to point out new trial findings on Mediterranean diets; but this is one trial set against many for lowering cholesterol.   So yes we have ways beyond cholesterol control to lessen risks, but these should not replace advice on cholesterol and saturated fats – rather they should be used together.  The same is true for lifestyle changes which work in tandem with other advice and cholesterol lowering.”