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THERE IS NO link between consumption of saturated fat and health issues like coronary heart disease and type two diabetes.
That’s according to an editorial in the British Medical Journal, published online this week.
“A landmark systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies” found no association between saturated fat and coronary heart disease, ischaemic stroke or type two diabetes in healthy adults, the editorial said.
Treatment of coronary artery disease “urgently requires a paradigm shift,” according to the article by three experts who work in the US, the UK and Europe.
Despite popular belief among doctors and the public, the conceptual model of dietary saturated fat clogging a pipe is just plain wrong.
When it comes to the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease, the experts write, “there is no benefit from reduced fat, including saturated fat, on myocardial infarction, cardiovascular or all-cause mortality”.
According to the article, in comparison with advice to follow a ‘low fat’ diet (37% fat), an energy-unrestricted Mediterranean diet (41% fat) supplemented with at least four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil or a handful of nuts achieved significant results.
According to the editorial:
Decades of emphasis on the primacy of lowering plasma cholesterol, as if this was an end in itself and driving a market of ‘proven to lower cholesterol’ and ‘low-fat’ foods and medications, has been misguided.
Selective reporting may partly explain this misconception.
It adds that those who walk briskly for 2.5 hours a week can increase life expectancy by up to 4.5 years “independent of body weight”.
Regular brisk walking may also be more effective than running in preventing coronary disease.
Dr Aseem Malhotra / TwitterSaturated fat does NOT clog the #heart arteries-THE END! Focus on lifestyle instead https://t.co/zyWuK4vrSj #NHS pic.twitter.com/SduOvpnPNx
— Dr Aseem Malhotra (@DrAseemMalhotra) April 26, 2017
The editorial was penned by Dr Aseem Malhotra of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in England; Rita F Redberg of UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco; and Pascal Meier of University Hospital Geneva.
The findings have come in for criticism from other experts, however. Dr Amitava Banrejee of London’s UCL told the Guardian the authors had “reported evidence simplistically and selectively”.
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Gotta go, need to walk briskly to McDonalds.
@Rathminder: Don’t forget to get a takeaway dessert for the return walk home. !!!
Nowadays we have to ask the question:
Who funded this study?
It may not be as factual as you think….
@Andy K: the BMJ is peer reviewed.
I see no grounds for suspicion. If you have specific grounds you should reveal them.
@Tony Daly: Try the last paragraph for starters
@Tony Daly: I find the study to be rather shallow and pedantic, to wit, good sir.
@Andy K: It’s not a study, it’s an editorial. The authors are giving an interpretation of other studies but this is not a systematic review, a meta-analysis or any other formal analysis, it’s an opinion.
@Neil Downing: it’s also at odds with other recent BMJ articles such as this one http://www.bmj.com/content/355/bmj.i6347
@Tom the Bomb: Also it’s not published in the BMJ as most commenters are implying – it’s published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, which is itself published by the BMJ Group but is not the British Medical Journal. Why is an article about general nutrition published in a journal that’s specifically about sports medicine?
@Tom the Bomb: why are you suspicious of only the recent study and not the old ones that condemned saturated fat in the first place? The condemnation of saturated fat is a part of the dietary advice Americans have been following for decades and most of them, since following this advice, have become diabetic whales.
@TehJurolan: I’m not only suspicious about the recent editorial. I’m just making the point that this is one of many such articles and it’s important to appraise each one before making a judgement. This editorial was a little flimsy and superficial, so I won’t be rushing to judge just yet. There is however increasing evidence that the role of lipids may be overestimated.
@Andy K:
In England during WW2 the rate of heart attacks decreased as did red meat consumption?
Eating meat causes a build up of fat in the arteries not because of the fat but because of the protein, the worst protein for heart attacks is pork because the protein makes the inside of the arteries sticky for fat build up. Beef protein increases risk of cancer and egg yokes have no effect on blood lipids, while turkey protein is good for your heart due to L Arginine.
It seems sugar and white bread are the worst things going for your heart.
But eating protein effects IGF 1 and that can lead to an increase in it that is behind heart disease and diabetes. It has been shown lazy children who eat too many sugary foods have been observed with heart disease.
It turns out eating fish has no effect on undoing damage to the heart although eating nuts and being a vegetarian does improve heart health.
So it is not fat but protein that is the problem here?
Dr Atkins figured this out in the 1970s…he was decades ahead of his time.
@Chemical Brothers: its been claimed for a long while that the original study linking saturated fats and heart disease was deeply flawed, there are some good credible articles on Google on the topic
Sugar in all of its forms and refined starches are the real culprit.
When I reduced all sugars and refined starches in my diet, my elevated triglycerides dropped to normal.
Be careful (moderate) with sugars, starches and too much carbs.
Fats and proteins are health. Some carbs, taken in excess, are unhealthy.
If you consume sugar and carbs to excess, take a vigorous walk afterwards. It reduces the stress on the liver and pancreas.
@Tony Daly: theory and proof of theory, good man Tony
@Permo Dermo: Go read a book on it.
The Greeks and Italians have hearts like a Massey ferguson due to a diet high in olive oils
@dick dastardly: give it a couple of weeks and we will probably have an article that olive oil is bad for you now.
@dick dastardly: Very true and dare I say it (in a nice way of couse) some of them are as big as a Massey Ferguson.
@dick dastardly: Tell us more Dick. Does it have to be virgin? Does pan frying destroy the benefit? Black or green?
@Marie Gunbay: “course”
@sue: it is bad for you if you heat it because it turns into a trans-fat.
@sue: The Italian police have a small division to regulate the virgin olive oil market. Seemingly the Italian mafia have extensive counterfeit operations selling crappy olive oil as extra virgin thereby ruining their export reputation. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/11/extra-virgin-italian-olive-oil-producers-accused-of-fraud
I wish they’d make up their mind about this
Saturated fat in moderation is probably ok but sat fats are generally high in calories. I believe there is something in those excess calories, so it’s not specifically sugar, fat or sat fats it’s the excess calories unused by our systems that’s causing the damage. Adding layers of fat tissue to around our organs
Take a chill pill ffs and enjoy life
For anybody interested in this (and we all should be), check out a book called “Death By Food Pyramid”. Its primarily based on the US approved food pyramid but does a very good job of showing how badly controlled studies and lobbying can lead to disastrous results in terms of what we eat on a daily.
This article itself is evidence of the really awful media reporting about all things related to diet, health and physical wellbeing.
Showing a takeaway style burger as the lead image, with the implied text that eating a diet of burgers etc, actually doesn’t cause coronary heart disease and by accociation that eating takeaways is good for you, reinforces the self-delusion of many people who vitually live on takeaways and ready meals, they never look in the mirror, and come up with a never ending litany of excuses about their excessive weight, lack of basic fitness and bad health.
The study references a Mediterranean diet, which is not burgers and chips, followed by beer and a tub of ice cream!
@David Van-Standen: Well said. Also, the reference to the Med diet is always a bit misleading, replicating it here is very difficult. Some med countries observe fasting periods during the year which could skew results. We are only starting to grasp how beneficial fasting can be for health.
Horizon did a documentary on this not so long ago.Summary:Studies in the 60s showed a strong correlation between countries which consumed a lot of red meat and coronary disease. Except there was a glaring problem (called the French problem) where it was noted that French people consumed as much red meat as the best of them but yet had a very low incidence. Moving forward in time to today, we now know that the data was too coarse to pinpoint the source of the problem. The issue it seems is not meat in it’s natural state. The same countries who consume a lot of red meat also consume a lot of cured meat products and it is now known that tenderising agents added to cured meats is the culprit. So Ham, Bacon, sausages, burgers etc. It turns out that French people don’t eat so much of it.The end.
@Paraic McDonagh: That’s what I thought for years.You never see a fat French person.They have a diet high in red meat,butter,cream,cheese and bread.The difference is it is all fresh and not mass produced,filled with trans fats and chemicals.
Everything in moderation, if its genetic then ur goosed, dont deprive urself of the odd treat theres none of us getting out of here alive.
@Slim Browne: You’re aware Slim there are over 170 Peer reviewed studies showing we change our genetics by what we eat !!! So genetics are not as goosing as you think !!!
@Colman McGrath: Ahem, that’s a no. We cannot change our genetics by eating anything or doing anything else for that matter. What we can do is change how those genetics express themselves. Within the envelope dictated by our genetic material we have some room to maneuver but beyond that, we have no control over our inherited material, nor can we influence how our genetics are passed on apart from the age-old method of picking a good breeding partner.
Chipper for lunch..
@Toon Army: If you are under the age of 40 that’s probably fine.
@Joe Caulfield: What if i’m turning 40 tomorrow?
@Old Gabby Johnson: Then I hope you make it to Leo Burdocks by midnight.
@Toon Army: Chips are unhealthy, not because of their fat content, but because they are very high in carbohydrates which are much worse than fats. The most fattening part of a burger is the bun.
Great news at last
…the report and medical research was funded by a charitable tax deductible grant from …….
Anyone who cared to critically examine the criteria of the original studies which “proved” that saturated fats were the demon could see that the study was fatally flawed. To speak about this 10 years ago (as many did try) was seen as sacrilege and they were usually booed off the stage by conventional medical doctors, who in general by the way wouldn’t have the first clue about lifestyle, diet and health. Anyway It is great to see that time has exposed the truth. Sugars are the real demon and are causing so many health problems. If we eat sugar, not alone does it get broken down and stored as fat, but it spikes inflammation in the body and also causes neutrophil activity to at least halve for up to 6 hours, ie meaning we have a non functioning immune system. Of course, -what few are talking about-, which is very important when talking about fats, is the quality. Because lipids can be so easily damaged with heat, oxygen and sunlight, we need to be very careful. Coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil are good oils. Margarine, spreads, Any hydrogenated oil, Soybean oil, Canola oil, Corn oil, Safflower oil, Cottonseed oil, Sunflower oil, Peanut oil and Sesame oil are all to be avoided because of either their toxicity or their high omega 6 content. We all need omega 3′s not 6′s. Flaxseed oil and fish oils are excellent supplements. Good fats are our friend. HDL (component of cholesterol) actually reduces inflammation in the body. Every endocrine signal that takes place in the body uses cholesterol, so fats are very important for health and well being.
@Ian Oh: The next question to look at once the realisation of all that you mention above sinks into the medical profession is, what are the point of statins and are they even that effective?
@Ian Oh: get the tae on.
We should be eating more fats and cutting down of foods that are high in Carbohydrates and Sugar. Foods like Bread, Potatoes, Rice, Pasta are high in Carbs. Foods like Sweets, Chocolate, Cakes, Ice cream, Jams and Fruit juices are high in sugar.
@SuzukaYuiMoa: Sweets, chocolate, and cake are high in sugar! I’m shocked! Well, you learn something new every day!
I am fine with this as long as it explains what does cause clogged arteries. Insulin spikes are what should be controled. A drop of red wine vinegar and teaspoon of cinnamon is what I use after a big meal. Sweet potatoes instead of white same for wholewheat pasta. Unfortunately brown rice tastes like a newspaper.
@Joe Caulfield: try bulgar wheat, nice nutty flavor and better all round than brown rice.
Wonder who sponsored this study?? We had one a few years ago saying that smoking did n’t cause lung cancer. Then there’s the red wine no red wine argument and the pharmaceuticals scandal. Methinks, just ignore the lot and do what comes natural, mon ami. Anyone fancy a drink?
Eh? Great news sod the porridge I’m off for a full Irish. Says she d’you want sauce wid dat sez I I do in my roll…
Yep. All this low fat no meat crapola stems from the hand wringing shrill joyless birdseed brigade, riddled with middle class guilt and the need to intrude into other people’s lives.
Eat and drink what you like
Sugar is the demon. Sugar is what cause oxidation in the arteries not Fat. I am saying this to people for years as I read a lot on it but they still buy fake butter and margarine like Flora pro active and all that rubbish. Like the so called Cholesterol lowering drinks it is a marketing ploy. You would have to drink gallons of it before a very small lowering of cholesterol would happen and even that does not cause artery clogging as this article states. It is sugar that causes health problems. Eat full fat in butter milk etc. I lose weight and I eat everything that has full fat. Low fat products are fortified with sugar. The next time you look at anything low fat just look at how much Carbohydrate is in it. Thats the nutritional name for sugar, And just look at where it says SUGARS in carbohydrates. I bet they are all high. If you want to get healthy. Eat the fat but ditch the sugar as mush as you can. Then watch the weight fall off. Try brown bread instead of white and the same with pasta if you eat it. I don’t.
What about the seriously damaging effects saturates have on the liver? Let’s get real here folks.
The big threat is probably sugar as it is added to everything that is processed,fizzy drinks, diet drinks etc
Watch Cereal Killers, a documentary on low carb, high fats diets, heart disease and sports performance, you might be surprised.
Long live the block of Frytex!
Well SOMETHING clogged my arteries to the extent I’ve six stents and had a 97% occlusion of the coronary an 89% occlusion of the LAD etc.
So if not saturated fat, what?
@John O’Driscoll: Something sweet and very sticky.
Bad for the teeth too, sugar. And bad teeth lead to bad heart disease so it’s all circular isn’t it revolting peasant? Now that is a thing I’d tax out of existence. Sugar.
One of these days someone is going to produce a report that smoking is good for you.
Of course we know well that it’s not, but vested interests can almost predetermine the outcome of any trial.
Just bad science
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