Believe it or not, there is not much credibility to the idea that avoiding animals fats and consuming a low-cholesterol diet will reduce the risk of heart disease. In the past one hundred years, heart disease has gradually become the leading cause of death in America. But this increase in heart disease has not been accompanied by an increase in saturated fats and animal fats in the diet. As a matter of fact, the consumption of animal fat in the American diet has plummeted in the past century. In 1910, the average person consumed 18 pounds of butter a year, but that number is now closer to about 3 pounds! During the same period of time, cholesterol consumption has only increased by about 1%!
So if animal fats are not to blame, then what is causing heart disease, not to mention the vast number of associated conditions, such as obesity, type II diabetes, and high blood pressure? At the same time that consumption of animal fats and cholesterol was decreasing in the American diet, the consumption of vegetable oils, processed fats, shortening, and refined oils increased by over 400%, accompanied by an enormous increase in the availability of refined sugars and packaged, processed foods. To date, no studies have demonstrated a direct link between moderate consumption of natural fats and heart disease. Mediterranean, Eskimo, Japanese, and French cultures all contain significantly high amounts of rich, saturated fats like butter, cheese, eggs, fish, cream, meats, and high fat sauces - but all have a lower rate of coronary heart disease than America.
The majority of fat that comprises the typical American diet is made up of polyunsaturated sources, including trans-fatty acids and hydrogenated fats. Such polyunsaturated fats include fats from vegetables, such as corn based oils, sunflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, safflower oil, and canola oil. We are constantly reminded that these types of fats are "better" for us than animal fats, but in reality they are far worse.
So how can an oil that comes from a vegetable be dangerous for our bodies? Because the naturally occurring oil must be extracted. This is a process that occurs in factories where the oil-containing seeds are heated to enormous temperatures and exposed to massive pressures, while being exposed to heavy amounts of light and oxygen, as well as toxin-containing extraction chemicals and pesticide concentrating compounds. This results in an oil with a high amount of free radicals and damaged or destroyed cholesterols and vitamins that are non-beneficial for the body. In contrast, an oil such as extra virgin olive oil is produced by crushing olives between two stone rollers - a relatively non-stressful process.
In addition to extraction, many fats undergo hydrogenation, a process in which a fat that would normally be a liquid at room temperature is converted to a solid. This is accomplished by mixing the fat with metal particles, hydrogen gas, emulsifiers, starch, and bleach. This process, applied to margarine and shortenings, makes these fats even more dangerous than the vegetable oils. The reason is that hydrogenation results in the formation of trans fats, a toxic and metabolically un-usable fat that can build up in the body and significantly increase risk of cancer. In addition, hydrogenation blocks the body from being able to actually use the fatty acids as energy.
So what is the problem with the free radicals that are formed when polyunsaturated fats are exposed to the heat, moisture, and other environmental conditions in this commercialization process? Free radicals happen to be one of the precursors to heart disease, blood vessel inflammation, and cancer. The hydrogenated and trans-fatty acids found in butter and animal fat substitutions like margarine, shortening, peanut butter, and cream cheese are also strongly associated with heart disease, cancer, and decreased natural fatty acid utilization. Furthermore, most polyunsaturated oils contain high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, but very small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Such an imbalanced ratio, when consumed in excess, can halt the body’s production of prostaglandins - important inflammation fighting molecules.
Saturated fats, on the other hand, have been shown to contain numerous benefits, including cell wall integrity, bone and skeletal structure, immune system enhancement and proper fatty acid utilization. Furthermore, proper cholesterol intake in the form of natural fats contributes to cell membrane stability, hormone production like testosterone and estrogen, vitamin D production, proper digestive function and antioxidant formation. It is interesting that cholesterol is important for anti-inflammatory effects, since individuals with heart disease, which is basically arterial inflammation, also have high cholesterol. Could it be that high cholesterol is an effect of inflammation from free radicals due to other poor dietary choices, and not a cause?
So what are some good natural sources of saturated fat and cholesterol? Consider the following list for a start: extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, butter, grass-fed beef, bison, or buffalo, walnuts and almonds. The best place to start in your diet to eliminate trans and hydrogenated fats would be most baked goods like muffins, scones, and biscotti, most cookies and crackers, soup mixes, frozen foods, chips, doughnuts and French fries, vegetable oils, and any "butter substitution" products like margarine or shortening.
In my opinion, heart disease in America would be drastically reduced by completely cutting out 1) the intake of processed vegetable oils, hydrogenated fats, and trans-fats; 2) the intake of refined carbohydrates, and processed and package foods containing sugar and high fructose corn syrup; 3) the view that naturally occurring compounds found in properly grown animal based products are somehow more harmful for our bodies than commercialized foods that contain highly oxidized and rancid fats, free radicals, and chemical compounds completely devoid of nutrients.
