It has been believed that for years, diets low in saturated fat can help to not only decrease the risk of heart disease but to also lengthen longevity as well. However, new studies show, that might not be the case.
Dr. James DiNicolantonio, a leading US cardiovascular research scientist states that current dietary advice that replaces saturated fats with carbohydrates or omega 6-rich polyunsaturated fats is based on flawed and incomplete data from the 1950s. He believes that dietary guidelines should be reviewed in order to save lives.
According to research, it was around 1952 when dietary advice was given that suggested a link between high dietary saturated fat intake and deaths from heart disease.
DiNicolantonio gathered information from 6 different countries, ignoring data from 16 other countries that didn’t fit with his theories and found that all 22 countries data was disproved. However, these dietary guidelines has already increased in popularity and suddenly everyone was fearful of them, even more so when US President Eisenhower had a heart attack in the 1950’s.
Other dietary advice that spawned from the 50’s was that fats increase total cholesterol, which must also increase heart disease risk. DiNicolantonio believes this theory is flawed as well.
Evidence today shows that there is a strong theory behind the consumption of refined carbohydrates as the answer behind the increase of diabetes and obesity in the US.
It is believed that low saturated fat diets can decrease the bad (LDL) cholesterol, but many people do not realize it that there are two types of LDL cholesterol. Switching to carbs could increase the pattern B (small dense of LDL), which is more harmful to the heart that the pattern A (large buoyant) LDL.
Studies show that a low carb diet is betters for the lipid profile and for weight loss while large observational studies indicate that there is no conclusive evidence that shows a low fat diet can cut the risk of cardiovascular disease.
However, many dietary guidelines state that upping polyunsaturated fat intake will decrease the risk of heart disease and cardiovascular disease. A recent study shows that in decrease these fats and not adding omega 3 fatty acids into the diet, there is a higher chance of heart disease or even death.
“We need a public health campaign as strong as the one we had in the 70s and 80s demonizing saturated fats, to say that we got it wrong,” urges DiNicolantonio. “The best diet to boost and maintain heart health is one low in refined carbohydrates, sugars and processed foods. And anyone who has had a heart attack should not be thinking of replacing saturated fats with refined carbs or omega 6 fatty acids — particularly those found in processed vegetable oils containing large amounts of corn or safflower oil.”
