Tag Archives: dietary fat

Dr. Beth Gruber discusses dietary fats, disease and blood lipids. Food choices can influence the health of entire populations, regardless of whether or not any conscious effort is made to reduce fats and cholesterol. Article 23 of the Science of Low-Carb & Keto Diets series.

Although some initial fat digestion is done in the stomach, most digestion and virtually all nutrient absorption of fats takes place in the small intestines. The pancreatic enzyme, called pancreatic lipase or steapsin, is the major fat-digesting substance. Article 21 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.