Saturated Fats discussion

ninerbuff

It's something to discuss and debate (basically because I missed out on it!) If you're going to debate it, then make sure to have evidence to back your position if asked.

Saturated fats aren't bad. Like anything else consumed, if you overdo it, one will probably gain weight (calorie surplus). Saturated fats play a vital role in:

forming cell membrane walls
initiating the building blocks of hormones
carrying fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K)
converting carotene to vitamin A
absorbing trace minerals

But what about heart disease and CAD? Well the Inuit and Massai eat copious amounts of saturated fat and don't have a history of heart disease and CAD.

Here's what the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF NUTRITION says:

Reviews of studies that linked dietary cholesterol and fats and high serum cholesterol with atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease aptly pointed out that the results of the epidemiologic and experimental studies are inconclusive or even contradictory (31-33). The conclusion of an analysis of the history and politics behind the diet-heart hypothesis was that after 50 y of research, there was no evidence that a diet low in saturated fat prolongs life (34). The proposition that dietary fat is unhealthy is based on the fact that high intakes of saturated fat elevate blood cholesterol and thus increase the incidence of atherosclerosis, which then increases the risk of CAD (35, 36). However, dietary saturated fats are not the only cause of heart disease—the causes are multifactorial. The results of studies on the etiology of heart disease are inconclusive and sometimes contradictory. Factors that are known to contribute to this disease include intake of carbohydrates with high glycemic indexes (for review see reference 19), homocysteine (37), C-reactive protein (38, 39), lack of exercise (40), high blood pressure (41), a family history of heart disease (42), oxidative stress (43), smoking (for review see reference 44), and obesity and diabetes (45, 46).

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/80/3/550.full


AND:

Why do some experts say ‘saturated fat is bad’ if other societies thrive on it?

In the late 1950s, the University of Minnesota’s Ancel Keys and other researchers conducted the so-called ‘Seven Countries’ study, which concluded that high levels of saturated fatty acids predicted higher rates of coronary heart disease.

A half-century later, Keys’ study has left an indelible impression on modern medicine.

Critics of the study, including Dr. Neil W. Hirschenbein of the La Jolla Institute of Comprehensive Medicine, allege that Keys’ study ignored data from 20 other countries that showed no correlation between saturated fat intake and heart disease.

“There is politics in everything, including medicine. When you’ve been teaching something for over 50 years, it’s hard to go back and say you’ve made a mistake,” Hirschenbein tells Mother Nature Network.

Hirschenbein adds, “A lot of the studies that came out linking saturated fat to heart disease don’t control for the quality of saturated fat or important lifestyle factors. There is no distinction in the studies, for example, between very healthy, 100-percent grass-fed beef versus meat that is raised in ways we shouldn't be eating that make the cows as fat as possible as quickly as possible, force-feeding them grains, and pumping the U.S. population with way too many inflammatory-inducing omega-6 fatty acids (which is an unsaturated fat).”

Are there any medical studies that prove saturated fat doesn’t lead to heart disease?

An editorial, titled, “Saturated fat prevents coronary artery disease? An American paradox,” published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, concludes: “… a high-fat, high–saturated fat diet is associated with diminished coronary artery disease progression in women with the metabolic syndrome.”

One study of 347,747 subjects, also published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, concluded, “Intake of saturated fat was not associated with an increased risk of CHD (coronary heart disease), stroke, or cardiovascular disease (CVD).”

“The science that saturated fat alone causes heart disease is non-existent,” says Hirschenbein.


Now where's my bacon? In moderation of course.


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PepperWorm

:drinker:

shadow2soul

Now where's my bacon? In moderation of course.


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Did somebody say bacon?



As for your discussion, I really have nothing to contribute, because I agree with you. :drinker:

Fr3shStrt

bump

GetSoda

Excellent post. High in saturated truthiness.

cmriverside

That BH lady get to you?


I'm all about Sat Fat.

Bring it.

No debating from moi.

durangocal

Thanks for the post!

crandos

Very interesting read i always love the science and the 'broscience' debunking thank you for sharing.

3dogsrunning

In for info. I've been following a few of these posts lately.

msliu7911

Great post! It really is about everything in moderation.

mmmm BACON!

Unknown

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yarwell

There's plenty of it in my body, apparently :-

adipose fat composition :- 27.1 ± 4.2% saturated, 49.6 ± 5.7% monounsaturated, and 23.4 ± 3.9% diunsaturated.

so I'm cool with eating it.

ninerbuff

That BH lady get to you?


I'm all about Sat Fat.

Bring it.

No debating from moi.

Lol, yes but at the same time I do believe that many in the forum believe that saturated fats should be completely avoided and I just want to try to ensure that CORRECT information is actually circulated here.

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jetlag

Thank you for posting this!

KatLifter

:drinker: :drinker:

ninerbuff

I agree with the general conclusion that saturated fat (and virtually anything for that matter) is completely acceptable within moderation as I have yet to see any scientific evidence that tells me otherwise. However, you have either misinterpreted or purposefully misrepresented the article entitled “Saturated fat prevents coronary artery disease? An American paradox” and the conclusions drawn from the study.

"Would saturated fat still be bad for anyone? Not necessarily. The effect of saturated fat and cholesterol ingestion in the form of 4 eggs/d for 1 mo in obese, insulin-resistant subjects is ≈33% of that seen in lean, insulin-sensitive subjects, likely because of diminished cholesterol absorption (12). Thus, the classic effects of saturated fat as compared with those of unsaturated fat seen in the Finnish Mental Hospital Study are likely blunted in the subjects of Mozaffarian et al, whereas the effects of low fat and high carbohydrate intakes on triacylglycerol and HDL-cholesterol concentrations appear to be exaggerated by the interactions of female sex, exogenous sex hormones, and the metabolic syndrome."

In short, they are stating that they believe differences in body composition and insulin-resistance likely reduced the absorption and thus negative effects associated with saturated fat intake whereas gender, exogenous sex hormones, and metabolic syndrome likely explain the increases in negative effects associated with the high carb, low fat diet.

"In conclusion, the hypothesis-generating report of Mozaffarian et al draws attention to the different effects of diet on lipoprotein physiology and cardiovascular disease risk. These effects include the paradox that a high-fat, high–saturated fat diet is associated with diminished coronary artery disease progression in women with the metabolic syndrome, a condition that is epidemic in the United States. This paradox presents a challenge to differentiate the effects of dietary fat on lipoproteins and cardiovascular disease risk in men and women, in the different lipid disorders, and in the metabolic syndrome. "

The conclusion acknowledges the conflicting results of prior research and reaffirms that such differences appear to be associated with certain conditions (e.g. metabolic syndrome, gender). The authors encourage further research to help resolve the inconsistencies between the findings and better determine how dietary fat effects different people, but nowhere do they state or imply that diets high in saturated fat will reduce the risk of CVD in all people, most people, or even the average person for that matter.

I believe that further research needs to be done on the "types" of saturated fats independently to determine effects on HDL and LDL. Quick review on the the types:

(1) Palmitic and (2) myristic acids
At first glance, palmitic acid (found in palm oil, butter, and eggs) and myristic acid (found in cheese, milk, butter, and beef) fit the bad-guy profile. They appear to increase inflammation and LDL cholesterol. But here's where things gets tricky: The rise in LDL is at least partly due to an increase in the size of each LDL particle in the body, which may not be as dangerous as an increase in the number of particles. These saturated fats also raise HDL in the process, so the net effect may be neutral, not bad.

(3) Stearic acid
This saturated fat, present in chocolate and beef, doesn't raise LDL at all. In fact, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee stated in its scientific report that the acid should not be considered a "cholesterol-raising" saturated fat. (Though the committee itself continues to recommend cutting back on saturated fat and doesn't mention stearic acid. Confused? Us too.) In fact, this type of saturated fat is an important reason dark chocolate gets the green light from most health experts. "The stearic acid in dark chocolate has no negative effect on blood cholesterol," Dr. Katz says.

(4) Lauric acid
There's some indication that lauric acid may not be harmful either. It's found in coconut oil, the latest superfood, which has been touted to do everything from lower stress to whittle your waist. But those claims are overblown. "Lauric acid is probably an innocuous fat," Dr. Katz says. "But no studies indicate that coconut has any edge over other oils that we know confer a benefit, like olive oil.

http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/nutrition/good-and-bad-fats/

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PepperWorm

Oh my dear god. I commented on a forum post and there BH was, telling someone struggling with binging that allowing for nasty ol' saturated fat-filled snacks every once in awhile was all a part of a healthy diet.

Could it be that y'all actually got to her?

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

I've actually read a few things saying that eating too little saturated fats lowers your testosterone (which obviously we want to keep high). Here's an article from t nation: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_nutrition/saturated_fat_killer_or_testosterone_booster

nomeejerome

:drinker:

sabified

bump to save for the info

ninerbuff

I've actually read a few things saying that eating too little saturated fats lowers your testosterone (which obviously we want to keep high). Here's an article from t nation: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_nutrition/saturated_fat_killer_or_testosterone_booster

Makes sense since saturated fats are part of the starting point for hormones being constructed in the body.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition