Old Advice To Avoid Saturated Fats Is Shown To Be Wrong

[tex]

Hi All,

More evidence has surfaced that the decades-old advice by the American Heart Association to avoid saturated fats in order to improve hearth health, is just plain wrong. The original study upon which that bad advice was based has been re-evaluated and the results were published last week in the British Medical Journal. The abstract of the article has an interesting conclusion: The study found that the conclusions reached by the researchers who wrote the earlier report were exactly the opposite of the truth. Why? Because they focused on cholesterol, rather than overall risk of death. Stupid is as stupid does.

Conclusions Advice to substitute polyunsaturated fats for saturated fats is a key component of worldwide dietary guidelines for coronary heart disease risk reduction. However, clinical benefits of the most abundant polyunsaturated fatty acid, omega 6 linoleic acid, have not been established. In this cohort, substituting dietary linoleic acid in place of saturated fats increased the rates of death from all causes, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease. An updated meta-analysis of linoleic acid intervention trials showed no evidence of cardiovascular benefit. These findings could have important implications for worldwide dietary advice to substitute omega 6 linoleic acid, or polyunsaturated fats in general, for saturated fats.

http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.e8707

Is that incredible, or what? The original conclusions of the report were used to promote the avoidance of saturated fats, and to substitute the use of polyunsaturated fats, even though the data upon which the report was based actually showed that following that advice leads to an increase in cardiovascular disease and an increase in deaths due to cardiovascular events. Of course those data were carefully excluded from the conclusion in the original report.

It's beginning to appear that virtually all of the health advice we were given during the last century is just plain wrong. The big question is why did so many research reports from the past half-century reach conclusions that were the exact opposite of the truth? And as a result, why have the government, the medical community, and most prominent self-proclaimed health experts, stuck together for decades to constantly spoon feed us with faulty health advice? These are the "experts" the public relies on (to say nothing of paying big bucks to) to oversee such information and to sort out the truth. There are two possibilities — either incompetence is an epidemic problem, or corruption is ubiquitous. Of course, a combination of those two options is also possible, I suppose.

Tex

[desertrat]

"The big question is why did so many research reports from the past half-century reach conclusions that were the exact opposite of the truth? And as a result, why have the government, the medical community, and most prominent self-proclaimed health experts, stuck together for decades to constantly spoon feed us with faulty health advice?"

Tex, I have asked myself this numerous times. Ever hear the saying, "Satan is alive and well on Planet Earth?" To me, it looks like the world's health is pretty much going to hell in a hand basket.

I was researching a vitamin the other day on the internet. It boggled my mind that for every medical article touting its amazing qualities, you could find another medical article stating there were slim to no benefits. Sheesh! Nobody can agree on anything.

I've finally decided to ignore medical statements and rely more on personal experience!

Mandy

[coryhub]

I stopped taking my cholesterol medicine when I was diagnosed with colitis. I don't know what my saturated fats are registering at and don't want to know. I feel better, I eat healthier, and my habits and cravings have totally changed. I'm listening to my body, using my head, and doing my own research. Wish I had more time to cook meals is all.

[tex]

This whole issue stinks. Preferentially selecting data involves hiding conflicting (but valid) data, in order to promote an agenda, and that's just plain fraudulent. And there is a definite pattern of that type or behavior involving health issue after health issue, over the last several decades. I'm not claiming that the motives were necessarily intentionally malicious, but that certainly doesn't mean that such behavior is justified. As always, it's all about money, and power — many fortunes have been made by promoting these agendas.

Oh, and I forgot to mention a couple of other players in this game — the food manufacturers and Big Pharma. They sponsored most of the research, and they surely had the most to gain when conflicting data remain hidden. The medical community, the government, and even many of the independent health experts were probably just pawns in most of these shenanigans.

Tex

[gluten]

Hi Tex, You are 100% correct. Jon

[Mrs Turtle]

I believe you are on to the answer in your last thought, Tex. As government funding is reduced for research, we have more private companies funding pseudo research that seems to arrive at the conclusions they want in order to sell their products. You sure become cynical after finding out these things and watching films like Food Inc. it made me aware that the government subsidizes corn for high fructose corn syrup, but not organic vegetables. Money goes to those with money to contribute to re-election campaigns.

The nutritionist I met with two weeks ago designed an eating program for me that includes butter, coconut oil, eggs, and other things that would never have been included 20 years ago. The eating plan includes some carbs, but focuses on healthy ones. It is clear that we really need to use our own judgment and experience when deciding what to eat.

[jgivens]

Its the old adage of "follow the money". Wherever research is done and there is money to be made by a drug company, then the results will be tilted toward that company. Government doesn't pay for the research unless there is a reason--like oh, perhaps some pharmaceutical lobbyist greases someone's palms enough.

[MaggieRedwings]

"Follow the Money" is 100% correct. We need to follow what we feel is right for our bodies and the hell with the scientific research that is only funded by ones wanting to benefit from it. Great work Tex and will eat what I want that is safe for the condition I have. Like doctors telling us - the ones with the disease - to eat more fiber. What a joke!!!!


Love, Maggie

[JeanIrene]

I think we always do better listening to our bodies too. Submitting our intellect and intuition to intellectuals at our universities, corporations and politicians is not wise. They're all in this together and using our money to do it.