Monday, March 16, 2020
Since the 1950s, many so-called health gurus claimed that saturated fat is bad for us.
They claimed that it can raise cholesterol levels and give us heart attacks.
However, recent studies have found conclusively that there’s absolutely no link between saturated fat intake and heart disease.
In this article, I will share just the top 10 reasons (that dietitians choose to ignore) why you shouldn’t fear saturated fat.
There are many others and I’d appreciate hearing your’s in the comments at the end.
1. Heart Disease Is NOT Caused By Saturated Fat
The truth is saturated fat can actually help reduce your risk of heart disease.
Saturated fat can actually increase HDL (good) cholesterol while changing LDL (bad) cholesterol from small, dense matter to large and fluffy substance, effectively making it harmless.
The simple fact is that there are ongoing studies and clinical trials uncovering new associations between saturated fats and improved heart health!
For instance, a large review of 21 studies with a total of 347,747 participants, published in 2010 has concluded that there is absolutely no association between saturated fat and heart disease.
2. Saturated Fat May Be Protective Against Stroke
Here’s a surprise for you.
Not only is saturated fat not associated with increased risk of heart disease, it may actually decrease risk of stroke, which is caused by bleeding or a blood clot in the brain.
3. Saturated Fat Regulates Your HDL Levels
I am sure you’ve heard of the talk about “good” vs “bad” cholesterol.
The good cholesterol is called HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) and it is common knowledge that saturated fat raises HDL levels.
HDL levels are inversely correlated with cardiovascular disease, and the fact that saturated fat has a positive effect on HDL is something nutrition policy makers have chosen to selectively ignore.
I wonder why?
4. Foods with Saturated Fat are Incredibly Nutritious
The fact is that foods that are high in natural saturated fats are incredibly nutritious; meat, organs and whole eggs being prime examples of these foods; none of which contain sugar.
Despite these foods (such as the eggs) being high in cholesterol, that doesn’t have any effect on heart disease whatsoever.
5. Saturated Fat Foods Contain a lot of Fat Soluble Vitamins
Natural foods that are high in fat contain a lot of fat soluble vitamins, including Vitamin A, E, D3 and K2.
An interesting example of a food that has been demonized due to high saturated fat content is full-fat dairy.
Ironically, some evidence suggests that full-fat dairy may be incredibly protective against heart disease, reducing risk by 69% in one large study, most likely due to a high Vitamin K2 content.
6. High Fat (And Low Carb) Diets Can Aid in Weight Loss
Low-carb diets tend to be high in fat, including saturated fat. These diets have incredible health benefits for people, including drastically increased weight loss compared to their low-fat counterparts.
7. Saturated Fats Don’t Damage Easily During High Heat
Saturated fats don’t contain any double bonds like unsaturated fats, which means that they are more stable. When cooking, fats are exposed to both high heat and oxygen at the same time, and saturated fats are less likely to become oxidized (damaged) under these circumstances.
Therefore, saturated fats are a safer option for cooking.
8. Saturated Fats Are Clean Fuel
Saturated fat is a form of energy that the body can use easily and metabolize as a clean fuel.
The body actually uses saturated (and monounsaturated) fat as a storage form of energy, and the body can use this stored energy in a healthy way when it lacks food. It doesn’t make any sense that humans would evolve to store energy in a form that is harmful to them.
9. The Look in People’s Face
It’s hard to deny that it’s fun to watch the faces of outdated nutritionists and vegans as you smother your steak in melted butter at the restaurant.
Then you get to laugh like a madman when they tell you that you’ll die of a heart attack. It’s also fun to clutch your chest in a mock heart attack before dissolving in a raucous fit of laughter.
10. Saturated Fat is Delicious
Bacon, steak, whole eggs, cheese, cream, butter… nuff said.
What are your favorite myths surrounding saturated fats and how do you have fun debunking them?