Addicted to Fat

http://www.eatingdisordersonline.com/nutritional/fats.php

RESEARCH

We’ve seen thousands of Westerners dramatically upgrade their health by adopting a time-honored traditional diet while, on the other hand, traditional peoples who have abandoned that diet in favor of modern oils have experienced radical health declines, according to recent studies. For example, Indians experienced a dramatic increase in heart disease as they urbanized, according to an article in the Journal of the Indian Medical Association, 2000. The most likely reason? Their adoption of Western foods, especially switching to vegetable oils instead of using traditional ghee (clarified butter) for cooking.

If you’re like most people we meet, when you hear about the benefits of coconut and other saturated fats, you may wonder, “If saturated fat is so great, why have I always been told it’s bad?” The fact is that for the last four decades, saturated fats, including coconut oil, have been banned from general consumption, condemned and locked away for the misdeeds of polyunsaturated fats, trans fats, and refined carbohydrates, foods that are still at large wreaking havoc with American waistlines (not to mention our life expectancy).

If eating saturated fat caused heart disease and weight gain, then eliminating those fats should have resulted in a decline in heart disease and an increase in weight loss. But look around you. That’s not what happened! While we Americans have been dutifully eliminating fat from our diet, eating low-fat foods, and avoiding saturated fats from tropical oils, butter, and red meats, obesity rates and the overall incidence of heart disease have continued to climb.

The truth is that the “diet police” condemned the wrong culprit. It wasn’t saturated fat or coconut oil (a dietary staple in countries such as Thailand and the Philippines with consistently lower heart disease rates than our own) that caused our galloping heart disease rates. An entire body of research implicates refined grains and sugars (especially high-fructose corn syrup)—not saturated fats—as the cause of obesity, and vegetable oils and trans fats as key factors in heart disease. At long last, nutritional experts around the country agree and have called for a revision of the USDA Food Pyramid, which promotes excess consumption of the real culprits. (Although the new USDA guidelines do contain warnings about trans fats, they still condemn saturated fats.)

Let us repeat: the very oils promoted as healthy in place of saturated fats were, in fact, accessories (along with refined grains and sweets) to this nation’s mounting weight gain and key contributors to heart disease. Recent research reveals that it is the polyunsaturated vegetable oils, not the saturated fats in coconut oil and animal foods, that induce changes leading to heart disease. For example, the work of Bernard Hennig, published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2001, indicates that an excess of omega-6 fatty acids (from commercial vegetable oils) contributes to pathological changes in the cells lining the arteries, and hence to heart disease. There is also much research demonstrating that the trans fats in many manufactured foods (the same foods people eat to avoid saturated fats) contribute to a wide range of illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, and obesity. Here’s a recent sampling:

. . . In 1998, the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology published a review of 27 studies, involving over 150,000 individuals, that looked at the relationship between diet and heart. In three groups, the patients had eaten more animal fat than the controls. In one group, they had eaten less. In all the other groups, researchers found no difference in animal fat consumption between people with heart disease and those without. What’s more, in three groups the patients had eaten more vegetable oil than the controls. In only one group had patients eaten less vegetable oil than the control group.

. . . The results of a study conducted by researchers in Denmark and published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2002, indicated no association between dietary patterns and coronary heart disease. The study looked at the diets of patients admitted to the hospital for diagnosis of heart disease. Patients were divided into three groups: two groups ate diets that were “healthy” according to establishment standards—they avoided animal fats and frequently ate whole grains, fruit, and vegetables. The third group consumed a so-called Western diet with a lot of meat, butter, and white bread. Again, the study indicated no association between dietary patterns and coronary heart disease, even though the otherwise healthy "Western" diet contained white bread.

. . . A Swedish study published in the British Journal of Nutrition, 2004, found that consumption of milk fat (that is, butterfat) was negatively associated with the risk factors for heart disease and also for actual heart attack. In other words, butterfat protects against heart disease.

. . . A report published in The Lancet, 2001, as part of the Honolulu Heart Program, an ongoing study, looked at lowering cholesterol in the elderly. Researchers compared changes in cholesterol concentrations over 20 years with mortality from all causes. Said the researchers, “Our data accords with previous findings of increased mortality in elderly people with low serum cholesterol, and show that . . . the earlier that patients start to have lower cholesterol concentrations, the greater the risk of death . . .” That is, when people maintain low levels of cholesterol in their blood over a long period of time—for example, by eating the kind of low-fat diet that government agencies recommend—their risk of death from all causes will increase.

. . . Drug studies carried out during the last 15 years have focused on the effects of cholesterol-lowering drugs. An analysis of 44 trials involving almost 10,000 patients was published in the American Journal of Cardiology, 2003. The investigators found that the death rate among three groups of patients—one taking Lipitor (a very strong cholesterol-lowering drug), one taking other cholesterol-lowering drugs, and one taking nothing—was identical.

. . . A recent study, published in the American Journal of Cardiology, 2003, found that patients who successfully lowered their cholesterol levels did not reduce plaque buildup in their arteries. One group took a strong dose of a cholesterol-lowering drug while the other took a lower dose of the same drug. Researchers then measured the amount of blockage in their arteries. After more than one year, both groups showed a 9.2 percent increase in plaque buildup, suggesting that plaque buildup is not related to cholesterol level.

STUDIES SHOWING THE BENEFITS OF MEDIUM-CHAIN TRIGLYERIDES
(FOUND PREDOMINANTLY IN COCONUT OIL) FOR WEIGHT LOSS

1. Eating 2 tablespoons medium-chain fatty acids (the kind found in coconut oil) with a meal caused body temperature to rise after the meal. This means that coconut oil can boost metabolism, helping you to avoid the slowdown in metabolism that often occurs during dieting.

Am J Clin Nutr 1991 Mar;53(5):1130-3 (Human Study)
Postprandial thermogenesis in lean and obese subjects after meals supplemented with medium-chain and long-chain triglycerides.
Scalfi L, Coltorti A, Contaldo F.

Institute of Internal Medicine and Metabolic Diseases, 2nd Medical School, University of Naples Federico II, Italy.

The thermic effect of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) was studied in six lean and six obese young males by evaluating postprandial thermogenesis (PPT) after the ingestion of mixed meals containing either 38 g long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) or 30 g MCTs plus 8 g LCTs. Postabsorptive resting metabolic rate (RMR) was higher (P less than 0.05) in the obese individuals than in the lean ones. PPT, evaluated as 6-h incremental areas above RMR, was greater (P less than 0.05) in both groups after meals containing MCTs. The thermic effect of MCTs was 119.7 +/- 33.9 and 144.7 +/- 48.8 kJ/6 h in the lean and the obese subjects, respectively. The postprandial response of glucose, insulin, and free fatty acids did not depend on the type of oil contained in the meal. Our study shows that PPT is enhanced in both lean and obese subjects when LCTs in a mixed meal are replaced with MCTs.
2. Medium-chain fatty acids are oxidized (used for energy) more readily than long-chain fatty acids and hold potential as weight loss agents.
Life Sci 1998;62(14):1203-15 (Review of animal and human studies)
Medium chain fatty acid metabolism and energy expenditure: obesity treatment implications.
Papamandjaris AA, MacDougall DE, Jones PJ.

School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Macdonald Campus, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec.

Fatty acids undergo different metabolic fates depending on their chain length and degree of saturation. The purpose of this review is to examine the metabolic handling of medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) with specific reference to intermediary metabolism and postprandial and total energy expenditure. The metabolic discrimination between varying fatty acids begins in the GI tract, with MCFA being absorbed more efficiently than long chain fatty acids (LFCA). Subsequently, MCFA are transported in the portal blood directly to the liver, unlike LCFA which are incorporated into chylomicrons and transported through lymph. These structure based differences continue through the processes of fat utilization; MCFA enter the mitochondria independently of the carnitine transport system and undergo preferential oxidation. Variations in ketogenic and lipogenic capacity also exist. Such metabolic discrimination is supported by data in animals and humans showing increases in postprandial energy expenditure after short term feeding with MCFA. In long term MCFA feeding in animals, weight accretion has been attenuated. These differences in metabolic handling of MCFA versus LCFA are considered with the conclusion that MCFA hold potential as weight loss agents.

3. Lauric acid (the main medium-chain triglyceride in coconut oil) is preferentially used for energy rather than storage. Dietary fatty acids that are more prone to oxidation than storage may be less likely to lead to obesity.
Am J Clin Nutr 2000 Oct;72(4):905-11 (Human Study)
Differential oxidation of individual dietary fatty acids in humans.
DeLany JP, Windhauser MM, Champagne CM, Bray GA.
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70808-4124, USA. delanyjp@mhs.pbrc.edu

BACKGROUND: Dietary fatty acids that are more prone to oxidation than to storage may be less likely to lead to obesity.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of chain length, degree of unsaturation, and stereoisomeric effects of unsaturation on the oxidation of individual fatty acids in normal-weight men. DESIGN: Fatty acid oxidation was examined in men consuming a weight-maintenance diet containing 40% of energy as fat. After consuming the diet for 1 wk, subjects were fed fatty acids labeled with (13)C in the methyl or carboxyl position (10 mg/kg body wt). The fatty acids fed in random order were laurate, palmitate, stearate, oleate, elaidate (the trans isomer of oleate), linoleate, and linolenate blended in a hot liquid meal. Breath samples were collected for the next 9 h and the oxidation of each fatty acid was assessed by examining liberated (13)CO(2) in breath.
RESULTS: Cumulative oxidation over the 9-h test ranged from a high of 41% of the dose for laurate to a low of 13% of the dose for stearate. Of the 18-carbon fatty acids, linolenate was the most highly oxidized and linoleate appeared to be somewhat conserved. (13)C recovery in breath from the methyl-labeled fatty acids was approximately 30% less than that from the carboxyl-labeled fatty acids.
CONCLUSIONS: In summary, lauric acid is highly oxidized, whereas the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids are fairly well oxidized. Oxidation of the long-chain, saturated fatty acids decreases with increasing carbon number.

4. Medium-chain triglycerides have been demonstrated to be more satiating and promote weight loss.

Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2003 Nov;6(6):629-34 (Review of human studies)
Food and Fat Intake.
French S, Robinson T.

Masterfoods (a Division of Mars UK Ltd), Slough, UK. stephen.french@eu.effem.com

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Given the global rates of obesity and the potential link to dietary fat intake, understanding the role of fat in the regulation of food intake is critical. Some short-term, laboratory-based studies demonstrate poor compensation for manipulation of fat content, leading to passive overconsumption, while others demonstrate compensation to levels similar to other macronutrients. The observation of compensation in the short term does not concur with long-term rates of obesity increase. This review discusses factors that may explain at a physiological level these discrepancies, in particular fat structure, dietary adaptation, and palatability.
RECENT FINDINGS: Medium-chain triglycerides have been demonstrated to be more satiating and promote weight loss. Recent data suggest different gastrointestinal transduction mechanisms elicit vagal afferent firing for fatty acids of different chain length. Dietary adaptation to fat can influence the sensitivity of the feedback response, which appears to be nutrient specific and relate to gastric emptying rates and hormonal feedback. Fat content has been found to influence palatability of foods. Recently it has been demonstrated that increasing palatability can partially override the satiating effects of covertly manipulated macronutrient preloads. Recent data suggest that hormonal influences may also affect the palatability response.
SUMMARY: It is becoming increasingly clear that although energy density of diets is a major factor determining intake, macronutrient structure, subject, dietary and taste differences can all play an important modulatory influence on the final response on food intake. Further understanding of these factors and interactions may provide strategies to help aid weight regulation.

5. Obese men consuming medium-chain triglycerides had greater weight loss than those consuming olive oil.

Obes Res. 2003 Mar;11(3):395-402 (Human study)
Medium-chain triglycerides increase energy expenditure and decrease adiposity in overweight men.

St-Onge MP, Ross R, Parsons WD, Jones PJ.
School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study were to compare the effects of diets rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) or long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) on body composition, energy expenditure, substrate oxidation, subjective appetite, and ad libitum energy intake in overweight men.
RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Twenty-four healthy, overweight men with body mass indexes between 25 and 31 kg/m(2) consumed diets rich in MCT or LCT for 28 days each in a crossover randomized controlled trial. At baseline and after 4 weeks of each dietary intervention, energy expenditure was measured using indirect calorimetry, and body composition was analyzed using magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Upper body adipose tissue (AT) decreased to a greater extent (p < 0.05) with functional oil (FctO) compared with olive oil (OL) consumption (-0.67 +/- 0.26 kg and -0.02 +/- 0.19 kg, respectively). There was a trend toward greater loss of whole-body subcutaneous AT volume (p = 0.087) with FctO compared with OL consumption. Average energy expenditure was 0.04 +/- 0.02 kcal/min greater (p < 0.05) on day 2 and 0.03 +/- 0.02 kcal/min (not significant) on day 28 with FctO compared with OL consumption. Similarly, average fat oxidation was greater (p = 0.052) with FctO compared with OL intake on day 2 but not day 28.
DISCUSSION: Consumption of a diet rich in MCTs results in greater loss of AT compared with LCTs, perhaps due to increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation observed with MCT intake. Thus, MCTs may be considered as agents that aid in the prevention of obesity or potentially stimulate weight loss.

6. Feeding medium-chain triglycerides resulted in greated fat oxidation (fat burning) than feeding long-chain fatty acids in healthy adult women.

Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2000 Sep;24(9):1158-66 (Human Study)
Endogenous fat oxidation during medium chain versus long chain triglyceride feeding in healthy women.

Papamandjaris AA, White MD, Raeini-Sarjaz M, Jones PJ.
School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of medium chain triglycerides (MCT) vs long chain triglycerides (LCT) feeding on exogenous and endogenous oxidation of long chain saturated fatty acids (LCSFA) in women.
SUBJECTS: Twelve healthy female subjects (age 19-26 y, body mass index (BMI) 17.5-28.6 kg/m2)
DESIGN AND MEASUREMENTS: In a randomized cross-over design, subjects were fed weight maintenance diets providing 15%, 45% and 40% of energy as protein, carbohydrate and fat, respectively, with 80% of this fat comprising either a combination of butter and coconut oil (MCT) or beef tallow (LCT). Following 6 days of feeding, subjects were given daily oral doses of 1-(13)C labelled-myristic, -palmitic and -stearic acids for 8 days. Expired 13CO2 was used as an index of LCSFA oxidation with CO2 production assessed by respiratory gas exchange.
RESULTS: No difference in exogenous LCSFA oxidation was observed as a function of diet on day 7. On day 14, greater combined cumulative fractional LCSFA oxidation (16.9 +/- 2.5%/5.5 h vs 9.1 +/- 1.2%/5.5 h, P < 0.007), net LCSFA oxidation (2956 +/- 413 mg/5.5 h vs 1669 +/- 224 mg/5.5 h, P < 0.01), and percentage dietary LCSFA contribution to total fat oxidation (16.3 +/- 2.3%/5.5 h vs 9.5 +/- 1.5%/5.5 h; P < 0.01) were observed in women fed the MCT vs LCT diet. With the MCT diet, but not the LCT diet, combined cumulative fractional LCSFA oxidation (P < 0.03), net LCSFA oxidation (P < 0.03), and percentage dietary LCSFA contribution to total fat oxidation (P < 0.02) were increased at day 14 as compared to day 7. Day 14 results indicated increased endogenous LCSFA oxidation during MCT feeding.
CONCLUSION: The capacity of MCT to increase endogenous oxidation of LCSFA suggests a role for MCT in body weight control over the long term.

7. Feeding medium-chain triglycerides to cyclers had endurance-increasing effects.

J Appl Physiol 1996 Jun;80(6):2217-25 (Human study)
Effects of medium-chain triglyceride ingestion on fuel metabolism and cycling performance.

Van Zyl CG, Lambert EV, Hawley JA, Noakes TD, Dennis SC.
Liberty Life Chair of Exercise and Sport Science, University of Cape Town Medical School, Observatory, South Africa.

On three occasions separated by 10 days, six endurance-trained cyclists rode for 2 h at 60% of peak O2 uptake and then performed a simulated 40-km time trial (T-trial). During the rides, the subjects ingested a total of 2 liters of a [U-14C]glucose-labeled beverage containing a random order of either 10% glucose [carbohydrate (CHO)], 4.3% medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs); or 10% glucose + 4.3% MCTs (CHO+MCT). Although replacing CHO with MCTs slowed the T-trials from 66.8 +/- 0.4 (SE) to 72.1 +/- 0.6 min (P < 0.001), adding MCTs to CHO improved the T-trials from 66.8 +/- 0.4 to 65.1 +/- 0.5 min (P < 0.05). Faster T-trials in the CHO+MCT trial than in the CHO trial were associated with increased final circulating concentrations of free fatty acids (0.58 +/- 0.09 vs. 0.36 +/- 0.06 mmol/l; P < 0.05) and ketones (1.51 +/- 0.25 vs. 0.51 +/- 0.07 mmol/l; P < 0.01) and decreased final circulating concentrations of glucose (5.2 +/- 0.2 vs. 6.3 +/- 0.3 mmol/l; P < 0.01) and lactate (1.9 +/- 0.4 vs. 3.7 +/- 0.5 mmol/l; P < 0.05). Adding MCTs to ingested CHO reduced total CHO oxidation rates from 14 +/- 1 to 10 +/- 1 mmol/min at 2 h and from 17 +/- 1 to 14 +/- 1 mmol/min in the T-trial (P < 0.01), without affecting the corresponding approximately 5 and approximately 7 mmol/min rates of [14C]glucose oxidation. These data suggest that MCT oxidation decreased the direct and/or indirect (via lactate) oxidation of muscle glycogen. A reduced reliance on CHO oxidation at a given O2 uptake is similar to an endurance-training effect, and that may explain the improved T-trial performances.

RECENT STUDIES SHOWING
WEIGHT-LOSS ADVANTAGES OF HIGHFAT-DIETS

1. 2003 Study conducted by Harvard School of Public Health (presented to the Association for the Study of Obesity but not published.) Twenty-one overweight volunteers were divided into 3 groups. All food was prepared for the volunteers so the researchers knew exactly what they were eating. Those eating the high-fat diet lost more weight than those eating high-carb, even though calorie intake was the same. In fact, those eating a high-fat diet containing 300 more calories per day than the high-carb group lost more weight.

2. A new study by Temple University School of Medicine took place in a clinical research center where every calorie eaten and spent was measured. After a week of typical eating, ten obese patients with type-2 diabetes followed a diet that limited carbohydrates to 20 grams per day but allowed unlimited protein and fat. With carbs out of the diet, the patients spontaneously reduced their daily energy consumption by 1,000 calories per day.

When carbohydrates were restricted, said lead researcher Guenther Boden, MD, the subjects spontaneously reduced their caloric intake to a level appropriate for their height, did not compensate by eating more protein or fat, and lost weight. We concluded that excessive overeating had been fueled by carbohydrates.

In addition to calorie reduction and weight loss, subjects experienced markedly improved glucose levels and insulin sensitivity as well as lower triglycerides and cholesterol (Ann Intern Med. 2005 Mar 15;142(6):403-11). The interesting thing about this study was that the subjects did not consciously try to restrict calories or lose weight, showing that restricting carbs and increasing fat in the diet works better than will power.

STUDIES SHOWING THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF SATURATED FATS

1. In Framingham, Massachusetts, the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower people’s serum cholesterol. . . we found that the people who ate the most cholesterol, ate the most saturated fat, ate the most calories weighed the least and were the most physically active.
William Castelli, Director, The Framingham Study
Archives of Internal Medicine 1992
2. In this study, patients who had already had a heart attack were divided into three groups and instructed to consume:
Polyunsaturated Corn Oil
Monounsaturated Olive Oil
or Saturated Animal Fats

Corn Oil Group had 30% lower cholesterol but only 52% alive after 2 years

Olive Oil Group had 57% alive after 2 years

Animal Fat Group had 75% alive after 2 years

British Medical Journal 1965 1:1531-33

3. The following comparison of the effects of Saturated Fats and Trans Fats The conventional view is that trans fats are just as bad as saturated fats. Actually, saturated fats have the opposite effects of trans fats and are beneficial.



STUDY SHOWING WEIGHT GAIN WITH REDUCED-FAT MILK

1. A study that followed 12,829 children ages 9 to 14 years found that weight gain was associated with drinking reduced-fat milk but that dairy fat was not associated with weight gain.

Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 2005 Jun;159(6):543-550

Milk, dairy fat, dietary calcium, and weight gain: a longitudinal study of adolescents.
Berkey CS, Rockett HR, Willett WC, Colditz GA.

Channing Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA. catherine.berkey@channing.harvard.edu

BACKGROUND: Milk is promoted as a healthy beverage for children, but some researchers believe that estrone and whey protein in dairy products may cause weight gain. Others claim that dairy calcium promotes weight loss.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the associations between milk, calcium from foods and beverages, dairy fat, and weight change over time.Design, Subjects, and Outcome Measure We followed a cohort of 12 829 US children, aged 9 to 14 years in 1996, who returned questionnaires by mail through 1999. Children annually reported their height and weight and completed food frequency questionnaires regarding typical past-year intakes. We estimated associations between annual change in body mass index (BMI) (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) and our dietary factors, adjusted for adolescent growth and development, race, physical activity, inactivity, and (in some models) total energy intake.
RESULTS: Children who drank more than 3 servings a day of milk gained more in BMI than those who drank smaller amounts (boys: beta +/- SE, 0.076 +/- 0.038 [P = .04] more than those who drank 1 to 2 glasses a day; girls: beta +/- SE, 0.093 +/- 0.034 [P = .007] more than those who drank 0 to 0.5 glass a day). For boys, milk intake was associated with small BMI increases during the year (beta +/- SE, 0.019 +/- 0.009 per serving a day; P = .03); results were similar for girls (beta +/- SE, 0.015 +/- 0.007 per serving a day; P = .04). Quantities of 1% milk (boys) and skim milk (girls) were significantly associated with BMI gain, as was total dietary calcium intake. Multivariate analyses of milk, dairy fat, calcium, and total energy intake suggested that energy was the most important predictor of weight gain. Analyses of year-to-year changes in milk, calcium, dairy fat, and total energy intakes provided generally similar conclusions; an increase in energy intake from the prior year predicted BMI gain in boys (P = .003) and girls (P = .03).
CONCLUSIONS: Children who drank the most milk gained more weight, but the added calories appeared responsible. Contrary to our hypotheses, dietary calcium and skim and 1% milk were associated with weight gain, but dairy fat was not. Drinking large amounts of milk may provide excess energy to some children.

> 120gs of fat today. Love it!

Good quality fats, fill you up, and help you eat less, great for dieting. I'd pick fats over carbs any day.

Hear, hear!