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:

Dr Gavin Sandercock, Reader in Clinical Physiology (Cardiology) and Director of Research at the University of Essex, said:

“This editorial is not founded on good evidence.  There is no such thing as ‘real food’ – the authors don’t define what it is so it’s meaningless.

“The authors say ‘A high TC to HDL ratio drops rapidly with dietary changes such as replacing refined carbohydrates with healthy high fat foods.’   This is not true.  There is no reference to support this statement and I am not aware of any good supporting evidence.

“It’s true that eating fatty foods does not cause heart disease. Having high cholesterol is linked to heart disease but it has very little to do with what we eat. The authors bemoan the quality of evidence for saturated fats but there is even less (or no evidence) for benefits of ‘real food’ or ‘healthy diet’ as a means to combat heart disease.

“We must continue to research the complex links between fat, cholesterol and heart disease but we must not replace one myth with another. The science linking fatty food and heart disease may have flaws but the science linking ‘real food’ and heart disease is totally non-existent!

“I agree that the links between diet and disease can be weak, and that the risk posed by moderate consumption of saturated fat is sometimes overstated.  In moderation as part of a mixed diet, there is no single food item that is bad for you, and no single nutrient should be thought  of as ‘healthy or unhealthy’ – this is  true for fat, protein and carbohydrates.

“We have to stop searching for dietary silver-bullets too – there is no one food that can make you ‘healthy’.  Confusion arises from such misplaced ideas.

“Unlike diet, there is no question over the evidence that being physically active is beneficial to health – and in more ways than just reducing heart disease.  Walking an extra 22 minutes a day will improve health in less active individuals, and walking more will lead to even greater improvements.  There is no confusion or argument over the benefits of physical activity. As long as you’re not starving or overconsuming calories, diet has very little impact on most people’s health and there is nothing you can do to eat yourself healthy and you certainly cannot eat yourself fit.”