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Is there a phrase that gets a peak workout these days that "healthy fats"? Avo toast rules brunch menus and Instagram feeds, EVOO flows like wine on grilled vegetables and nut butters to the rhythm of smoothie mixers.
But of course, this brings us to "unhealthy" fats. What to do with these saturated varieties: meats and dairies? The fats we've been told for decades will increase our cholesterol, clog our arteries and ultimately cause heart disease? Because here's the thing: studies have been quietly accumulating in recent years that suggest that the truth about saturated fats is more complicated and less overwhelming than we previously thought. In fact, the saturated substance may be necessary, even … healthy. Well, always be our beating heart
This new doctrine was a great success last year, when the newspaper Lancet published a decade-long study on dietary habits 135,000 people from 18 countries. The results struck the scientific community and inspired a series of OTT headlines ( Low fat diet could kill you for one). The study found that not only those who consume the least fat and most carbohydrates have a 28% higher risk of death during these 10 years, but also those who consume the most fat . What caused the biggest commotion? These results remained stable in all types of fats, including saturated fats, which showed an added benefit of being associated with a lower stroke risk. And low levels of saturated fat actually increased the risk of death.
Shocking news, definitely, and not everyone is on the same page. The Heart Foundation recommends that saturated fats account for only 7% of an adult's kilojoules daily intake: for the moment, most Australians consume about 12%. "There has been a lot of talk about the evils of saturated fats." says Rita Redberg, cardiologist and editor of JAMA Internal Medicine . "Rehabilitation based on new knowledge and understanding takes time."
Meanwhile, our efforts to avoid saturated fats led us to try to replace them – with mixed results. The first suggestion, carbs, has proven catastrophic, with many experts now suggesting that this has triggered our current crisis of obesity. According to Walter Willet, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard University, the anti-sat-fat camp recommends "to replace as much as possible saturated fats with unsaturated fats".
But concerns also arise about unsaturated fats, especially a category of polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs); these are some vegetable oils, such as canola, rich in omega-6 fatty acids (as opposed to those rich in omega-3s, such as olive oil, which are clearly health-promoting).
Frustrated by all the contradictory messages? US too. And since fat is as essential as it is delicious, we'll dive deeper into what you should put on your plate.
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So what's the problem with saturated fats?
Eat a Mediterranean diet high in fat. Reduce stress Walk at least 22 minutes a day. Take the focus on saturated fats. When Redberg and two other cardiologists published an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine proclaiming all of the above, the reactions of some scientists were quick and pungent, calling the boards "weird" And "simplistic". .
Yet, an increasing number of studies seem to suggest that this is neither one nor the other, which calls into question decades of assumptions about fats saturated. One was a meta-analysis in 2014 that examined 76 studies – 27 of them randomized, controlled trials, the gold standard for research. The team led by the University of Cambridge found that "current evidence" does not support the limitation of saturated fats in favor of PUFAs.
A further analysis conducted in 2015 by Canadian institutions showed no link between saturated fat intake and all-cause mortality, including cardiovascular disease, heart disease, and diabetes mellitus. type 2. "Saturated fats were the number one enemy of public health," says David Ludwig, professor of nutrition at the Harvard THH School of Public Health "But that's neither it nor exactly a health food.It's a bit neutral." Here's the evolving science of the effect of saturated fats on your body.
It influences the cholesterol
But not the way you think.For decades, the scientific gospel has been that high levels of total cholesterol, and especially high LDL (the "bad" form), increased your risk Then the researchers discovered that what matters a lot more is
LDL are not alike
Recent research suggests that there are two types of LDL particles: large particles fluffy that protect against heart disease and small, dense particles that can create inflammation and blockage. And when your LDL increases because you have eaten a steak, the increase is in the larger particles, not the smaller ones. To be sedentary? This triggers the little ones
The source is the key
We now know that not all saturated fats behave in the same way in the body. Example: whole dairy products and dark chocolate are full of saturated fats, but do not pose a risk of cardiovascular disease.
It helps control weight
In fact, Ludwig says we should eat more fat in general and a lot less processed carbohydrates for our health and waistline. "When you consider white bread and butter, bread is the least healthy ingredient," he says. After conducting research for 20 years, he created a weight loss program described in his 2016 book Always Hungry? . In a pilot test, the average weight loss over 16 weeks was nine pounds, some going up to nearly 14. "Since the program is not limited, we also believe that the results will be more sustainable. He adds. The plan calls for a 50% fat diet in the first two weeks, 25% for carbohydrates and protein. Then the level drops to about 40 percent fat, depending on the person.
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And what about the Alternatives
Peer in most cabinets and you'll find them: bottles of canola oil. It is very popular and marketed in good health, especially compared to butter. They also contain large amounts of omega-6 fatty acids. These are good things, right? Not so fast.
Omega-6s are a kind of omega-3 evil twin, healthy fats for the heart of fish and olive oil. We need a little omega – 6 in our diet, but we are now absorbing a lot more than we did about a century ago thanks to all the processed vegetable oil . And recent research suggests that it can promote heart disease rather than protect against them.
One of the most compelling studies was published in 2016 but was based on evidence collected in the 1970s. (Why, ask yourself? Some experts think that it was "buried" because he did not support the theory of vegetable oil.) The large clinical trial conducted by the University of Minnesota has hypothesized that the reduction of saturated fats l & # 39; omega-6 corn oil loaded would help prevent heart disease and reduce death rates. Instead, he did almost the opposite, and surprisingly. Cholesterol levels fell in the corn oil group, but mortality rates remained the same as in the sat-fat group. And the lower the cholesterol level, the higher the risk of death.
Evidence accumulates, says James DiNicolantonio, a researcher in cardiology. Specifically, he cites a meta-analysis in the International Journal of Biological Chemistry that suggests that the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 – just like this ratio of LDL to HDL regarding saturated fats – is particularly important.
It all boils down to inflammation. The omega-6 causes it, contributing to cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases. Omega-3 protects you. So, rejuvenate your diet by increasing your intake of oily fish like salmon and tuna, flaxseed, grass fed beef (not grain fed), nuts and lentils. And minimize your consumption of vegetable oils, bottled vinaigrettes (also loaded with sugar) and snacks like crackers. It's an easy report, we can all be behind. Chew the fat on that.
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