Dietary Fat

The incidence of heart disease has not declined, despite a decrease in fat intake. The most recent studies indicate that total dietary fat has no relation to heart disease risk, that monounsaturated fats (like olive oil) actually lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and that man-made trans-fatty acids (the type of fats in margarine) are the fats that are unhealthful. Article 17 of the Science of Low-Carb & Keto Diets series.

Health agencies began advising everyone to restrict fats consumption. Said to be based on sound science - which it wasn't. Despite a 6% or more drop in average fat intake over the past 30 years, there is no real evidence that health has improved. Article 16 of the Science of Low-Carb & Keto Diets series.

Dietary dogma about Dietary Fats came about despite the fact that there was very little evidence connecting diet to heart disease, and despite the concern of some scientists that eating too little fat could also have harmful effects. The media being what it is, it pushed all the scientific criticisms aside, and stood behind the simple, easy-to-understand but incorrect idea that less fat equals longer life. The government publishes the US Department of Agriculture's booklet on dietary guidelines every 5 years, and so far the well-known Food Pyramid still recommends that fats and oils be eaten "sparingly." Article 15 of the Science of Low-Carb & Keto Diets series.

The fifty-year attack on dietary fat has involved hundreds of millions of dollars being spent to try to prove that low-fat diets are better for everyone. More recent studies suggest that high carbohydrate diets contribute not only to heart disease risk but also to the condition known as Syndrome X, which involves insulin resistance and an even greater increase in heart disease risk. The incidence of heart disease began to increase along with the rise in consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates. Article 14 of the Science of Low-Carb & Keto Diets series.

What Are Fats? Misconceptions & Truths. Article 13 of the Science of Low-Carb & Keto Diets series. Today we are beginning our discussions of dietary fats. In this new series of articles, we will be discussing the answers to the following questions: What are fats? What are oils? How are fats and oils digested by and absorbed into the body? We'll also be talking about how dietary fats relate to body fat. At the very start, though, let's consider how it is that so-called 'nutritional science' seems to tell us that every condition known to mankind is in some way related to dietary fat. How and why has fat been relegated to the position of being the "evil food?"