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Time to end the war against saturated fat?

latimes.com

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Re: Time to end the war against saturated fat?

#11

Post by jared314 »

csshelton wrote: post #6
dragonshed wrote: post #2

It's several decades past due. Robert Lustig, quoted in the article, gave a fantasticly informative talk which hit youtube a few years back, which explains the folly of the low-fat diet. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM

Seems like Lustig's point is that a high-fructose diet is worse for you than a high-fat diet. We have replaced the fat in our diet with fructose, but that isn't necessary. We could just eat carbs low in fructose and/or more protein instead of fat. Regardless, this article is discussing saturated fat, which is a subset of all fats. "Healthy" oils like olive oil, canola oil, and many nuts have lots of fat, but very lit…

> "Healthy" oils like olive oil, canola oil, and many nuts have lots of fat, but very little saturated fat.

Why do you consider those oils to be healthful?

Re: Time to end the war against saturated fat?

#12

Post by trevvvor »

it's interesting to watch the saturated fat debunking come into mainstream media. Most people who are deep into food research (I don't like to say "nutrition" because it's such a loaded term now) reading many modern studies, books, and blog posts, already know that saturated fat is good and healthy. Both the comments here and on that article show a good deal of naysayers, and how powerful public opinion is.

These doubters seem to have the most basic "common knowledge" explanation of saturated fat: Sat.fat raises cholesterol, and cholesterol clogs your arteries, and clogged arteries lead to heart disease. If you think this chain is how your body works, you should know that it isn't nearly the entire story, and not accurate.

50% of every cell membrane in your body is saturated fat. Your body produces 75% of the cholesterol that it NEEDS to operate, the rest comes from diet. Why does your body produce cholesterol and what is its purpose? That would be a good research starting point if you are still anti sat.fat.

Of course, you shouldn't trust articles on science reporting. You shouldn't trust me. You should read studies and analyze them yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised by what you find.

Re: Time to end the war against saturated fat?

#13

Post by yetanotherphd »

trevvvor wrote: post #12

it's interesting to watch the saturated fat debunking come into mainstream media. Most people who are deep into food research (I don't like to say "nutrition" because it's such a loaded term now) reading many modern studies, books, and blog posts, already know that saturated fat is good and healthy. Both the comments here and on that article show a good deal of naysayers, and how powerful public opinion is. These dou…

There are probably thousands of articles on the topic.

I'd there any reason we shouldn't just accept the opinion of the FDA or AMA

Re: Time to end the war against saturated fat?

#14

Post by [deleted] »

trevvvor wrote: post #12

it's interesting to watch the saturated fat debunking come into mainstream media. Most people who are deep into food research (I don't like to say "nutrition" because it's such a loaded term now) reading many modern studies, books, and blog posts, already know that saturated fat is good and healthy. Both the comments here and on that article show a good deal of naysayers, and how powerful public opinion is. These dou…

[deleted]

Re: Time to end the war against saturated fat?

#15

Post by yetanotherphd »

nanexcool wrote: post #3

This is anecdotal, but I've now lost 20 kg with a ketogenic diet. Started at 110 kg, I now weigh 90 kg after 5 months. I've complemented the diet with a regular amount of exercise (mostly running). If anyone is interested, http://www.reddit.com/r/keto has a nice community of ketoers.

Do you think that since minority opinions tend to foster a community around then, this also biases people toward minority opinions?

Re: Time to end the war against saturated fat?

#16

Post by eru »

meritt wrote: post #10
michaellosee wrote: post #4

+1 for keto. The wife and I have lost 20 lbs each in the last 3 months.

Congrats. Just like a determined programmer will do well with any language/platform, determined individuals will realize their health goals regardless of which fad diet they are currently utilizing.

As long as the fad diet isn't too crazy. (You won't lose weight on a caloric surplus, for example.)

Re: Time to end the war against saturated fat?

#17

Post by trevvvor »

yetanotherphd wrote: post #13
trevvvor wrote: post #12

it's interesting to watch the saturated fat debunking come into mainstream media. Most people who are deep into food research (I don't like to say "nutrition" because it's such a loaded term now) reading many modern studies, books, and blog posts, already know that saturated fat is good and healthy. Both the comments here and on that article show a good deal of naysayers, and how powerful public opinion is. These dou…

There are probably thousands of articles on the topic. I'd there any reason we shouldn't just accept the opinion of the FDA or AMA

Should we listen to the government bodies and medical organizations that give us nutritional guidelines? This is a hard question to answer. I don't think anyone doubts that these bodies have good intentions and have our best interests at heart. But there is an obesity epidemic going on in America and spreading to the world, which has lead many people to question common nutritional teachings. Some people think we're just exercising less and eating more potato chips. However, those who are truly curious and go out hunting for information find evidence that contradicts the advice of these organizations.

We can see that slowly people are agreeing with the other side. They aren't doubting for no reason, evidence is coming from science and analysis of history. Really, you have to read studies. Science reporting is rarely accurate. Once you find the bad science that has lead to our current common knowledge nutrition, and how we got our current recommendations, you may doubt the advice of these organizations.

I am not saying don't trust them. They are working in the name of science for a good cause. But you have to be informed, and if your informing leads you to find doubting evidence (like it already has for me, some doctors, and many laypeople), then you can make your own decisions.

Re: Time to end the war against saturated fat?

#18

Post by csshelton »

jared314 wrote: post #11
csshelton wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like Lustig's point is that a high-fructose diet is worse for you than a high-fat diet. We have replaced the fat in our diet with fructose, but that isn't necessary. We could just eat carbs low in fructose and/or more protein instead of fat. Regardless, this article is discussing saturated fat, which is a subset of all fats. "Healthy" oils like olive oil, canola oil, and many nuts have lots of fat, but very lit…

> "Healthy" oils like olive oil, canola oil, and many nuts have lots of fat, but very little saturated fat. Why do you consider those oils to be healthful?

Quotations were used around the word to indicate skepticism. Believe those are called scare quotes.

Re: Time to end the war against saturated fat?

#19

Post by beagle3 »

yetanotherphd wrote: post #13
trevvvor wrote: post #12

it's interesting to watch the saturated fat debunking come into mainstream media. Most people who are deep into food research (I don't like to say "nutrition" because it's such a loaded term now) reading many modern studies, books, and blog posts, already know that saturated fat is good and healthy. Both the comments here and on that article show a good deal of naysayers, and how powerful public opinion is. These dou…

There are probably thousands of articles on the topic. I'd there any reason we shouldn't just accept the opinion of the FDA or AMA

The same reason you should not accept the TSA's opinion on security, or the FED's opinion on economics, or the DEA's opinion on marijuana, or the NSA's opinion on information security, or the SEC's opinion on market manipulation.

They are not working for you; while they try to avoid uprising, and that often does correlate with what is good for you - they generally care more about the profits/benefits to themselves/supporters/friends/industry.

Somehow, it is clear to almost everyone on this forum about the TSA and the DEA, to many (but not all) about the SEC - but almost everyone believes the FDA and FED are "the good guys". (The NSA switched sides from good to bad recently thanks to Snowden, I believe).

But there's no difference. Regulatory Capture has happened in all of these. Follow the money trail and the revolving door with the industry.

Re: Time to end the war against saturated fat?

#20

Post by nanexcool »

yetanotherphd wrote: post #15
nanexcool wrote: post #3

This is anecdotal, but I've now lost 20 kg with a ketogenic diet. Started at 110 kg, I now weigh 90 kg after 5 months. I've complemented the diet with a regular amount of exercise (mostly running). If anyone is interested, http://www.reddit.com/r/keto has a nice community of ketoers.

Do you think that since minority opinions tend to foster a community around then, this also biases people toward minority opinions?

Not going to argue with a stranger on the internet.

Rather I'm gonna go out for a run.

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