MCT oil: healthy?
BlessedMom70
Posts: 124 Member
I have seen a lot of You Tube videos lately from people doing low carb or Keto, using MCT oil in their coffee. Apparently it is very filling (because of the fat), but when I checked it out on Amazon, it looks like there is 13g of saturated fat in a tablespoon (?) And a lot of people add butter to their coffee in addition to the oil. I realize that low carb/Keto means an increased consumption of fats, but would this be considered healthy?? Maybe I'm stuck back in the day when certain fats were considered extremely bad for you. :-/
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Keto would say that saturated fats are just as healthy as any other fat. If you are speaking to a cardiologist they would probably beg to differ.6
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I'm sure people are doing it, the same as the bulletproof coffee fad when paleo was the big thing ~3 years ago. If you're low on fat, sure, it's a way to get extra but the answer to a very blanket question of "healthy" or not is very subjective.
Looking at Examine.com, it's not something that's been extensively studied or has anything more than "minor" documented effects for most categories. https://examine.com/supplements/mcts/
Like any marketed short cut, it's an avenue for people to make some extra cash by propping up the "benefits" of some thing. Any effects (if there are any) aren't going to trump the necessity of being in a caloric deficit. If you can make it fit your calories/macros and it helps you keep to your calorie limit by suppressing your appetite, go for it. Otherwise, it's fad-based window dressing designed to get clicks/views.11 -
BlessedMom70 wrote: »I have seen a lot of You Tube videos lately from people doing low carb or Keto, using MCT oil in their coffee. Apparently it is very filling (because of the fat), but when I checked it out on Amazon, it looks like there is 13g of saturated fat in a tablespoon (?) And a lot of people add butter to their coffee in addition to the oil. I realize that low carb/Keto means an increased consumption of fats, but would this be considered healthy?? Maybe I'm stuck back in the day when certain fats were considered extremely bad for you. :-/
Healthy depends on context, dosage, medical conditions, and goals. I personally still subscribe to the idea that while fats do not need to be feared, it still isn't a bad idea to keep an eye on saturated fat. Others would differ.
There are some medical pros out there who will tell you to eat as much sat fat as you want, and others who say to limit it, even if you eat a higher fat diet.
Regardless, if you are looking to get more fat in your diet, I'd say there are way yummier ways than putting fancy oil in your coffee. Nuts, seeds, avocado, salad dressing, chicken legs, salmon, coconut milk, full fat dairy, whole eggs, etc.12 -
Keto would say that saturated fats are just as healthy as any other fat. If you are speaking to a cardiologist they would probably beg to differ.
People on keto or LCHF regard saturated fat as the healthiest fat followed by the lesser processed oils like olive oil and the vegetable oils like corn oil are frowned upon. When I started researching this I was like "what, this is so backward from what I have been told". Not arguing here just commenting and no doubt about the cardiologist begging to differ.
I just started a book "Big Fat Lie" which details how fats were labeled good or bad and the research behind it. Perhaps I will know more after reading it. I use MCT oil in my coffee and from what I understand it can be absorbed directly through your stomach lining. I also have bacon, sausage, eggs, heavy whipping cream and cheese for breakfast. The rest of my day is not as fatty. I plan on getting my blood tested in November to see how my HDL & LDL responds to this WOE.11 -
Keto would say that saturated fats are just as healthy as any other fat. If you are speaking to a cardiologist they would probably beg to differ.
People on keto or LCHF regard saturated fat as the healthiest fat followed by the lesser processed oils like olive oil and the vegetable oils like corn oil are frowned upon. When I started researching this I was like "what, this is so backward from what I have been told". Not arguing here just commenting and no doubt about the cardiologist begging to differ.
I just started a book "Big Fat Lie" which details how fats were labeled good or bad and the research behind it. Perhaps I will know more after reading it. I use MCT oil in my coffee and from what I understand it can be absorbed directly through your stomach lining. I also have bacon, sausage, eggs, heavy whipping cream and cheese for breakfast. The rest of my day is not as fatty. I plan on getting my blood tested in November to see how my HDL & LDL responds to this WOE.
If I was going to substantially increase my intake of saturated fat, I think I'd want firmer facts and details than simply the people who are already doing it "regard" it to be healthy.10 -
I'm personally of the opinion that extremes in anything isn't particularly healthy.
I'm also with my cardiologist and my doctor on this, regardless of what blogs and books written by keto supporters say...I need a lot more evidence than a blog or a book.
My aunt did keto because she had extremely bad seizures and it was the only way to control them. She started keto as a child to control her seizures...she died of cardiovascular disease at 52.17 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I'm personally of the opinion that extremes in anything isn't particularly healthy.
I'm also with my cardiologist and my doctor on this, regardless of what blogs and books written by keto supporters say...I need a lot more evidence than a blog or a book.
My aunt did keto because she had extremely bad seizures and it was the only way to control them. She started keto as a child to control her seizures...she died of cardiovascular disease at 52.
So sorry for you loss. :-(
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janejellyroll wrote: »Keto would say that saturated fats are just as healthy as any other fat. If you are speaking to a cardiologist they would probably beg to differ.
People on keto or LCHF regard saturated fat as the healthiest fat followed by the lesser processed oils like olive oil and the vegetable oils like corn oil are frowned upon. When I started researching this I was like "what, this is so backward from what I have been told". Not arguing here just commenting and no doubt about the cardiologist begging to differ.
I just started a book "Big Fat Lie" which details how fats were labeled good or bad and the research behind it. Perhaps I will know more after reading it. I use MCT oil in my coffee and from what I understand it can be absorbed directly through your stomach lining. I also have bacon, sausage, eggs, heavy whipping cream and cheese for breakfast. The rest of my day is not as fatty. I plan on getting my blood tested in November to see how my HDL & LDL responds to this WOE.
If I was going to substantially increase my intake of saturated fat, I think I'd want firmer facts and details than simply the people who are already doing it "regard" it to be healthy.
I am not drinking keto kool-aid. I am doing a lot of research and most of what I have found is from Doctors and dietitians not from the "I did it and it worked" crowd. I am on my second book, the first was a detailed account of the war on cancer. It was interesting to see how a Keto WOE disturbed or even repressed cancer growth. (Tripping Over The Truth) It is possible to be the rare individual that sees an increase in LDL so that is why I am going to monitor my blood levels.10 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Keto would say that saturated fats are just as healthy as any other fat. If you are speaking to a cardiologist they would probably beg to differ.
People on keto or LCHF regard saturated fat as the healthiest fat followed by the lesser processed oils like olive oil and the vegetable oils like corn oil are frowned upon. When I started researching this I was like "what, this is so backward from what I have been told". Not arguing here just commenting and no doubt about the cardiologist begging to differ.
I just started a book "Big Fat Lie" which details how fats were labeled good or bad and the research behind it. Perhaps I will know more after reading it. I use MCT oil in my coffee and from what I understand it can be absorbed directly through your stomach lining. I also have bacon, sausage, eggs, heavy whipping cream and cheese for breakfast. The rest of my day is not as fatty. I plan on getting my blood tested in November to see how my HDL & LDL responds to this WOE.
If I was going to substantially increase my intake of saturated fat, I think I'd want firmer facts and details than simply the people who are already doing it "regard" it to be healthy.
I am not drinking keto kool-aid. I am doing a lot of research and most of what I have found is from Doctors and dietitians not from the "I did it and it worked" crowd. I am on my second book, the first was a detailed account of the war on cancer. It was interesting to see how a Keto WOE disturbed or even repressed cancer growth. (Tripping Over The Truth) It is possible to be the rare individual that sees an increase in LDL so that is why I am going to monitor my blood levels.
I was responding to what you wrote in your post. If you have firmer, population-study based evidence that saturated fat is the most healthy fat for humans, I'm open to hearing about it. I'm just saying that someone "regarding" it as such isn't fully convincing to me and I've personally found that books about nutrition by someone promoting a certain style of niche diet often leave things to be desired when it comes to accuracy and full disclosure.
The truth is that I'm not aware of many cardiologists who recommend a diet that is high in saturated fat. That may change in the future as more research is done, but that's the way things are right now.14 -
janejellyroll wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Keto would say that saturated fats are just as healthy as any other fat. If you are speaking to a cardiologist they would probably beg to differ.
People on keto or LCHF regard saturated fat as the healthiest fat followed by the lesser processed oils like olive oil and the vegetable oils like corn oil are frowned upon. When I started researching this I was like "what, this is so backward from what I have been told". Not arguing here just commenting and no doubt about the cardiologist begging to differ.
I just started a book "Big Fat Lie" which details how fats were labeled good or bad and the research behind it. Perhaps I will know more after reading it. I use MCT oil in my coffee and from what I understand it can be absorbed directly through your stomach lining. I also have bacon, sausage, eggs, heavy whipping cream and cheese for breakfast. The rest of my day is not as fatty. I plan on getting my blood tested in November to see how my HDL & LDL responds to this WOE.
If I was going to substantially increase my intake of saturated fat, I think I'd want firmer facts and details than simply the people who are already doing it "regard" it to be healthy.
I am not drinking keto kool-aid. I am doing a lot of research and most of what I have found is from Doctors and dietitians not from the "I did it and it worked" crowd. I am on my second book, the first was a detailed account of the war on cancer. It was interesting to see how a Keto WOE disturbed or even repressed cancer growth. (Tripping Over The Truth) It is possible to be the rare individual that sees an increase in LDL so that is why I am going to monitor my blood levels.
I was responding to what you wrote in your post. If you have firmer, population-study based evidence that saturated fat is the most healthy fat for humans, I'm open to hearing about it. I'm just saying that someone "regarding" it as such isn't fully convincing to me and I've personally found that books about nutrition by someone promoting a certain style of niche diet often leave things to be desired when it comes to accuracy and full disclosure.
The truth is that I'm not aware of many cardiologists who recommend a diet that is high in saturated fat. That may change in the future as more research is done, but that's the way things are right now.
I would agree. I have yet to see anyone promote the benefits of SFA, especially considering this is substanial evidences of the benefits of MUFA/PUFA (Omega 3s in particular) and little to no evidence showing SFA improving metabolic markers. At best, that have found that SFA are non harmful.
OP, MCT is promote on keto because it's metabolized in the liver which allows for quicker energy use. LCT tend to take hours to break down and aren't as effective as an immediate energy source. Essentially, MCT acts similar to a carbohydrate.
ETA: is it healthy? It would depend how your body response to SFA. But there aren't many studies on this supplement6 -
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BlessedMom70 wrote: »I have seen a lot of You Tube videos lately from people doing low carb or Keto, using MCT oil in their coffee. Apparently it is very filling (because of the fat), but when I checked it out on Amazon, it looks like there is 13g of saturated fat in a tablespoon (?) And a lot of people add butter to their coffee in addition to the oil. I realize that low carb/Keto means an increased consumption of fats, but would this be considered healthy?? Maybe I'm stuck back in the day when certain fats were considered extremely bad for you. :-/
Not everyone finds high fat filling. I tried bullet proof coffee, and fat bombs, and do not find them filling at all.
What fills me up is protein and fiber.6 -
I don't do fat bombs or bulletproof coffee. Forgive my spelling but there are populations the defied the preceived norm. The maasai and the intuit relied on a very high fat diet and had no heart issues. These populations were conveniently left out of studies because they conflicted with the hypothesis. There is clearly room to explore further here. I don't go super high fat, I choose to get most from normal breakfast fare that includes proteins.11
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I don't do fat bombs or bulletproof coffee. Forgive my spelling but there are populations the defied the preceived norm. The maasai and the intuit relied on a very high fat diet and had no heart issues. These populations were conveniently left out of studies because they conflicted with the hypothesis. There is clearly room to explore further here. I don't go super high fat, I choose to get most from normal breakfast fare that includes proteins.
Like how the keto pushers conveniently forget about the blue zones?10 -
singingflutelady wrote: »I don't do fat bombs or bulletproof coffee. Forgive my spelling but there are populations the defied the preceived norm. The maasai and the intuit relied on a very high fat diet and had no heart issues. These populations were conveniently left out of studies because they conflicted with the hypothesis. There is clearly room to explore further here. I don't go super high fat, I choose to get most from normal breakfast fare that includes proteins.
Like how the keto pushers conveniently forget about the blue zones?
Or the fact that life expectancy for Inuit people is 68 years, and around 43 for Maasai?
Inuit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18457208
Maasai: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/maasai_T3.html7 -
singingflutelady wrote: »I don't do fat bombs or bulletproof coffee. Forgive my spelling but there are populations the defied the preceived norm. The maasai and the intuit relied on a very high fat diet and had no heart issues. These populations were conveniently left out of studies because they conflicted with the hypothesis. There is clearly room to explore further here. I don't go super high fat, I choose to get most from normal breakfast fare that includes proteins.
Like how the keto pushers conveniently forget about the blue zones?
Or the fact that life expectancy for Inuit people is 68 years, and around 43 for Maasai?
Inuit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18457208
Maasai: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/maasai_T3.html
Exactly! Wasn't there a post above about not drinking the keto cool aid??5 -
singingflutelady wrote: »I don't do fat bombs or bulletproof coffee. Forgive my spelling but there are populations the defied the preceived norm. The maasai and the intuit relied on a very high fat diet and had no heart issues. These populations were conveniently left out of studies because they conflicted with the hypothesis. There is clearly room to explore further here. I don't go super high fat, I choose to get most from normal breakfast fare that includes proteins.
Like how the keto pushers conveniently forget about the blue zones?
Or the fact that life expectancy for Inuit people is 68 years, and around 43 for Maasai?
Inuit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18457208
Maasai: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/maasai_T3.html
A survey from 1989 through 2003 of a population that may only be 33% native Intuit is hardly accurate. I was reading about studies that were much older than that and likely prior to a more western diet intruded.
With the link to the Maasai it had the comment "Interestingly, even though they eat almost double the recommended portion of animal fats, their cholesterol levels are slightly lower than normal. They also show very little evidence of cardiovascular disease." My comment on both was the directed to the lack of LDL cholesterol, cardiovascular disease and heart attacks despite their saturated fat intake since that was the subject at hand.
That said the Intuit at 68 is not great but not extremely bad but I would be interested what it was prior to 1970. The Maasai on the other hand is dreadful at 43. My understanding is that a portion of the population relocated and adopted a more western diet and gained weight. That group was used to dispel the idea that they had developed a freaky gene to ward off cholesterol as both groups were genetically similar.
This still leaves the Maasai dead at an early age which begs the question why? Hopefully my latest book go go into greater detail on this group.4 -
I'd hazard a guess that a lot of folks in the US who have suffered from and eventually died from heart disease would not have ever been diagnosed with heart disease if they had died from other causes by 43.5
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singingflutelady wrote: »I don't do fat bombs or bulletproof coffee. Forgive my spelling but there are populations the defied the preceived norm. The maasai and the intuit relied on a very high fat diet and had no heart issues. These populations were conveniently left out of studies because they conflicted with the hypothesis. There is clearly room to explore further here. I don't go super high fat, I choose to get most from normal breakfast fare that includes proteins.
Like how the keto pushers conveniently forget about the blue zones?
Or the fact that life expectancy for Inuit people is 68 years, and around 43 for Maasai?
Inuit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18457208
Maasai: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/maasai_T3.html
Exactly! Wasn't there a post above about not drinking the keto cool aid??
No Kool-Aid, I have and continue research about a Keto WOE. That doesn't mean it is all correct but what I have found I am comfortable with. I have looked for the negative too but most of what I find is click bait for Keto proponents. Right now I regard this as an experiment and will continue if all is well. If I find it counter productive I will stop.
I find it funny how any keto topic brings out the Keto Deniers in force to produce the same old chart each time of "Why Diets Work". That is always preceded by its only CICO you can always lose weight by eating less than you burn. News flash some people enjoy keto and its not only about weight loss. Others lose weight and find it easier than calorie restriction alone. I don't feel the need to find every topic on calorie deficit and proclaim Keto is the only thing that works. Lets let the keto'ers play in the keto pool if they like, it won't hurt anybody else.7 -
I'd hazard a guess that a lot of folks in the US who have suffered from and eventually died from heart disease would not have ever been diagnosed with heart disease if they had died from other causes by 43.
But as I recall many Maasai were studied multiple times and that included autopsies to check for plaque build up in their arteries. Some of these studies go back to the 50s and before. I will need to re-read some of this but I seem to recall that a Dr. used this to rebut Dr. Keys published work. Although the Dr. was later proven right Dr. Keys ruined his career and caused all of his research grants to dry up.
I do agree about 43 limiting heart disease but if that was a significant factor it would have been Dr. Keys first line of attack one would think. Still need to find the cause of death at such an early age.3 -
I'd hazard a guess that a lot of folks in the US who have suffered from and eventually died from heart disease would not have ever been diagnosed with heart disease if they had died from other causes by 43.
But as I recall many Maasai were studied multiple times and that included autopsies to check for plaque build up in their arteries. Some of these studies go back to the 50s and before. I will need to re-read some of this but I seem to recall that a Dr. used this to rebut Dr. Keys published work. Although the Dr. was later proven right Dr. Keys ruined his career and caused all of his research grants to dry up.
I do agree about 43 limiting heart disease but if that was a significant factor it would have been Dr. Keys first line of attack one would think. Still need to find the cause of death at such an early age.
If you want to focus on one group of an isolated people and pin your beliefs on their fate, that's fine. If you want to place your faith in the authors of a handful of books and Netflix documentaries, that's your business. It may very well be the case that keto is a healthy way to eat, and maybe someday there will be long range data to back that up. For people who have found it is the easiest way for them to maintain the right calorie level, I hope they get that assurance at some point. As far as additional health benefits, they are often benefits also attributed generally to weight loss by any means, the rest are in the very early days and still trying to suss out actual causation.
But there is already long range data, across the planet and many many generations, showing that keto is not necessary to be healthy, or to lose weight. So if someone is confused by it, or is struggling and unhappy keeping to the carb level, or is one of the people who are concerned it is raising their cholesterol level or contributing in some other way to heart disease, I will continue to assure them it's not necessary. I'm not anti-keto, I'm anti-"Keto is the best way to eat and everyone knows that carbs are the problem and everyone is satiated by fat and it's proven that lots of saturated fat is perfectly fine for you".
And lots of people who do keto think MCT Oil is at least unnecessary, which is the subject of this thread, not keto specifically.11 -
I'd hazard a guess that a lot of folks in the US who have suffered from and eventually died from heart disease would not have ever been diagnosed with heart disease if they had died from other causes by 43.
But as I recall many Maasai were studied multiple times and that included autopsies to check for plaque build up in their arteries. Some of these studies go back to the 50s and before. I will need to re-read some of this but I seem to recall that a Dr. used this to rebut Dr. Keys published work. Although the Dr. was later proven right Dr. Keys ruined his career and caused all of his research grants to dry up.
I do agree about 43 limiting heart disease but if that was a significant factor it would have been Dr. Keys first line of attack one would think. Still need to find the cause of death at such an early age.
I was in Tanzania for 10 days over the Christmas holidays last year and saw lots of Maasai. I'd think one thing you would have to take into account in regards to cardiovascular disease is that they live as their ancestors did...they hunt, they farm, and they herd livestock. The nature of their pastoral community means they are moving most of the time. I also never saw a Maasai that was anything but wafer thin. Inactivity and being over fat are both huge contributors to cardiovascular disease.
In regards to their short life expectancy, I would suspect it is a combination of the way they live and less access to modern medicine where healing is often sought from a Laibon (basically a witch doctor) in the community. Sexually transmitted diseases are also rampant within the Maasai community as it tends to be less than monogamous and sexual activity begins at an early age and there is little education about protection as well as limited availability.8 -
singingflutelady wrote: »I don't do fat bombs or bulletproof coffee. Forgive my spelling but there are populations the defied the preceived norm. The maasai and the intuit relied on a very high fat diet and had no heart issues. These populations were conveniently left out of studies because they conflicted with the hypothesis. There is clearly room to explore further here. I don't go super high fat, I choose to get most from normal breakfast fare that includes proteins.
Like how the keto pushers conveniently forget about the blue zones?
Or the fact that life expectancy for Inuit people is 68 years, and around 43 for Maasai?
Inuit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18457208
Maasai: http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/maasai_T3.html
A survey from 1989 through 2003 of a population that may only be 33% native Intuit is hardly accurate. I was reading about studies that were much older than that and likely prior to a more western diet intruded.
With the link to the Maasai it had the comment "Interestingly, even though they eat almost double the recommended portion of animal fats, their cholesterol levels are slightly lower than normal. They also show very little evidence of cardiovascular disease." My comment on both was the directed to the lack of LDL cholesterol, cardiovascular disease and heart attacks despite their saturated fat intake since that was the subject at hand.
That said the Intuit at 68 is not great but not extremely bad but I would be interested what it was prior to 1970. The Maasai on the other hand is dreadful at 43. My understanding is that a portion of the population relocated and adopted a more western diet and gained weight. That group was used to dispel the idea that they had developed a freaky gene to ward off cholesterol as both groups were genetically similar.
This still leaves the Maasai dead at an early age which begs the question why? Hopefully my latest book go go into greater detail on this group.
I'd hazard the guess that high infant, child, and peripartum mortality could be throwing off the average age of death, just as they have done in other populations throughout history, with remarkable increases throughout the 20th century in populations that saw medical advances cut into deaths in infants, children, pregnant, laboring, and postpartum women. If you lived to age 40 in a society with an average age of death in the 40s, you were pretty much as likely to live as long as someone in a society with an average age of death in the 70s. It's those early deaths in both genders and deaths of women in their reproductive years that throw off the average age of death.1 -
Putting aside Netflix mockumentaries and books by keto gurus, here is some unbiased, research-supported evidence regarding the effects/efficacy of MCTs: https://examine.com/supplements/mcts/3
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Putting aside Netflix mockumentaries and books by keto gurus, here is some unbiased, research-supported evidence regarding the effects/efficacy of MCTs: https://examine.com/supplements/mcts/
I skimmed through it pretty quick (at work) but I saw several things that were marginal in effectiveness or not effective. Was there anything I missed about dangers taking limited MCT oil? I just take 1 tablespoon as a little fat bump in the morning but must admit that I will probably stop to see if I really need it of if it shows any measurable change. I would rather not take anything if I don't need to.
I read books and view you tube lectures and such to educate myself some of which can be very intense on research. I also realize some videos are kind of goofy too. I don't think referring to my educating myself as being inferior and using derogatory name calling for it helps your point.9 -
I don't see anything dangerous about it in that context - but I don't see anything particularly beneficial about it either. It's just the latest diet woo, courtesy of the multi-billion dollar diet/supplement industry.Putting aside Netflix mockumentaries and books by keto gurus, here is some unbiased, research-supported evidence regarding the effects/efficacy of MCTs: https://examine.com/supplements/mcts/
I skimmed through it pretty quick (at work) but I saw several things that were marginal in effectiveness or not effective. Was there anything I missed about dangers taking limited MCT oil? I just take 1 tablespoon as a little fat bump in the morning but must admit that I will probably stop to see if I really need it of if it shows any measurable change. I would rather not take anything if I don't need to.
I don't see where I directly addressed you, called you 'inferior' or any other name, derogatory or otherwise. I even kept my opinions of your "research" sources to myself, refrained from posting links to evidence-based sources which rebut them, and kept my reply directly on topic.I read books and view you tube lectures and such to educate myself some of which can be very intense on research. I also realize some videos are kind of goofy too. I don't think referring to my educating myself as being inferior and using derogatory name calling for it helps your point.8 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I'd hazard a guess that a lot of folks in the US who have suffered from and eventually died from heart disease would not have ever been diagnosed with heart disease if they had died from other causes by 43.
But as I recall many Maasai were studied multiple times and that included autopsies to check for plaque build up in their arteries. Some of these studies go back to the 50s and before. I will need to re-read some of this but I seem to recall that a Dr. used this to rebut Dr. Keys published work. Although the Dr. was later proven right Dr. Keys ruined his career and caused all of his research grants to dry up.
I do agree about 43 limiting heart disease but if that was a significant factor it would have been Dr. Keys first line of attack one would think. Still need to find the cause of death at such an early age.
I was in Tanzania for 10 days over the Christmas holidays last year and saw lots of Maasai. I'd think one thing you would have to take into account in regards to cardiovascular disease is that they live as their ancestors did...they hunt, they farm, and they herd livestock. The nature of their pastoral community means they are moving most of the time. I also never saw a Maasai that was anything but wafer thin. Inactivity and being over fat are both huge contributors to cardiovascular disease.
In regards to their short life expectancy, I would suspect it is a combination of the way they live and less access to modern medicine where healing is often sought from a Laibon (basically a witch doctor) in the community. Sexually transmitted diseases are also rampant within the Maasai community as it tends to be less than monogamous and sexual activity begins at an early age and there is little education about protection as well as limited availability.
As a side note to this, as now I'm reminiscing...some Maasai came to our safari camp on New Years Eve...they spent about 3-4 hours dancing almost non stop, and their dancing is a lot of jumping up and down. They got me to join in and I was gassed after about 40 minutes and I'm reasonably fit...those folks are fit AF...3 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »I'd hazard a guess that a lot of folks in the US who have suffered from and eventually died from heart disease would not have ever been diagnosed with heart disease if they had died from other causes by 43.
But as I recall many Maasai were studied multiple times and that included autopsies to check for plaque build up in their arteries. Some of these studies go back to the 50s and before. I will need to re-read some of this but I seem to recall that a Dr. used this to rebut Dr. Keys published work. Although the Dr. was later proven right Dr. Keys ruined his career and caused all of his research grants to dry up.
I do agree about 43 limiting heart disease but if that was a significant factor it would have been Dr. Keys first line of attack one would think. Still need to find the cause of death at such an early age.
I was in Tanzania for 10 days over the Christmas holidays last year and saw lots of Maasai. I'd think one thing you would have to take into account in regards to cardiovascular disease is that they live as their ancestors did...they hunt, they farm, and they herd livestock. The nature of their pastoral community means they are moving most of the time. I also never saw a Maasai that was anything but wafer thin. Inactivity and being over fat are both huge contributors to cardiovascular disease.
In regards to their short life expectancy, I would suspect it is a combination of the way they live and less access to modern medicine where healing is often sought from a Laibon (basically a witch doctor) in the community. Sexually transmitted diseases are also rampant within the Maasai community as it tends to be less than monogamous and sexual activity begins at an early age and there is little education about protection as well as limited availability.
As a side note to this, as now I'm reminiscing...some Maasai came to our safari camp on New Years Eve...they spent about 3-4 hours dancing almost non stop, and their dancing is a lot of jumping up and down. They got me to join in and I was gassed after about 40 minutes and I'm reasonably fit...those folks are fit AF...
Yeah, I doubt that they have cars, mass transportation, 60" remote-controlled plasma TVs and oversized recliners, drive-through restaurants, office cubicles, massive food availability, grocery store scooters, or any of the other trappings of the average developed/obesogenic society. That may have some slight difference in their incidence of heart disease and other obesity-related comorbidities.
It's not rocket surgery to hypothesize that there would be differences in those markers between a highly active, nomadic, food scarce, hunter-gatherer population and the average sedentary first-world populations.5 -
BlessedMom70 wrote: »I have seen a lot of You Tube videos lately from people doing low carb or Keto, using MCT oil in their coffee. Apparently it is very filling (because of the fat), but when I checked it out on Amazon, it looks like there is 13g of saturated fat in a tablespoon (?) And a lot of people add butter to their coffee in addition to the oil. I realize that low carb/Keto means an increased consumption of fats, but would this be considered healthy?? Maybe I'm stuck back in the day when certain fats were considered extremely bad for you. :-/
My body stores energy largely as saturated fat. Not mainly as polyunsaturated oils or even monounsaturated oils? In my mind, that would seem to indicate that my body would be pretty well suited to dealing with saturated fat.
Saturated fat can raise your LDL a small amount in some people. It also tends to raise HDL and lower triglycerides (as long as you aren't eating high carb with it - that tends to have the opposite effect). I guess the question is do you believe a slight raise in LDL is a risk towards health? From what I have read, and especially for people like me(a middle aged woman) normal to slightly high LDL is not often a negative indicator of health.
MCT oil is favoured by ketoers because it is converted to ketones so readily. If you are looking for higher ketones to help with a medical issue like brain injury or dementia, then coconut oil is helpful.
Coconut oil is also good to cook with because it does not oxidize easily. The fats that tend to be better in that area tend to be animal fats like lard and tallow.
I'm sure it can be a negative thing if you eat too much (diahrrea comes to mind) but I think that too much of a food is bad is true of most foods.
Ymmv
Eta there was a plant based tribe living in the same area as the Masai in the mid 20th century. They were compared in their health markers and stature. The Masai lived longer, were much taller, and leaner, but the men only. The women ate more similar diets and resembled the other tribe more closely. Interesting. It was discussed in Big Fat Surprise. A really good piece of investigative journalism.9 -
I don't see anything dangerous about it in that context - but I don't see anything particularly beneficial about it either. It's just the latest diet woo, courtesy of the multi-billion dollar diet/supplement industry.Putting aside Netflix mockumentaries and books by keto gurus, here is some unbiased, research-supported evidence regarding the effects/efficacy of MCTs: https://examine.com/supplements/mcts/
I skimmed through it pretty quick (at work) but I saw several things that were marginal in effectiveness or not effective. Was there anything I missed about dangers taking limited MCT oil? I just take 1 tablespoon as a little fat bump in the morning but must admit that I will probably stop to see if I really need it of if it shows any measurable change. I would rather not take anything if I don't need to.
I don't see where I directly addressed you, called you 'inferior' or any other name, derogatory or otherwise. I even kept my opinions of your "research" sources to myself, refrained from posting links to evidence-based sources which rebut them, and kept my reply directly on topic.I read books and view you tube lectures and such to educate myself some of which can be very intense on research. I also realize some videos are kind of goofy too. I don't think referring to my educating myself as being inferior and using derogatory name calling for it helps your point.
MCT oil isn't really diet woo if you understand the purpose of it. It's a fast metabolizing fat that can provide energy if someone needs quick energy. Lyle McDonald recommends MCT oil/Coconut oil if you need a little boost pre workout in books like UD2. Where it becomes diet woo is when people promote it as some kind of fat burning agent. Because adding hundreds of calories to your coffee isn't going to help increase fat loss (it will actually do the opposite).3
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