by Brady Rivkin
Saturated fats have often been demonized as making people fat and raising cholesterol, but they are falsely accused. Many doctors and nutritionists have concluded that dietary fat does not translate to bodily fat and that saturated fat does not have much of an effect on cholesterol levels.
Over the last few decades, scientists have been debating what caused the recent epidemic in heart disease and weight gain. For a long time, their consensus was that saturated fat is at the root of these problems. Nowadays, top functional medicine doctors like Mark Hyman are trying to decipher what is the true catalyst for these health problems and how safe the foods that scientists demonized are.
Many have sworn by low-fat diets as their silver bullet for optimal health. However, most of the public is misinformed about the dangers of that routine. An article by a dietitian clarifies this in a shocking fashion, as the writer begins by explaining how fat was wrongfully accused, but in her “8 Rules to Eat By”, she writes, “So don’t start cooking with butter or eating more meat”, which contradicts the whole article. In another equally disturbing article by CookingLight, the author goes on a rambling tirade that is filled with misleading and impertinent answers. They falsely claim that the American Heart Association has sponsors and donors from the coconut oil industry, and when they respond to a comment about canola oil, they write, “#Sorrynotsorry”, a clear demonstration of rudeness.
Chris Kresser, a widely known health professional, was interviewed about the effects of diet on cholesterol level. From the studies he quotes, he finds that “On average, 70% of people are not affected by cholesterol in the diet”, and that some people experience rising cholesterol levels in the blood because of genes that cause a reaction to saturated fat. In addition to having responded to that argument about fat, he wrote an article about how omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are problematic because of the extraction methods.
Since there is so much debate over the effects of fat on human health, it is difficult for people to decide what to incorporate into their diet. From the previous explanation, one can understand that fat is better than it is portrayed to be. For a healthy diet, one does not need to monitor fat amounts; rather, they should focus on the quality of the fat. Unrefined fats are best, and they should be traceable from their source, for they are responsible for much of the body’s needs.
Fat is an essential macronutrient for life that helps people absorb vitamins and gain energy. It is entirely safe to eat, and is a plentiful source of food for anyone on the planet.
Bibliography:
Horton, Brierley. “Our Nutritionist Responds to Reader Comments on Coconut Oil.” Cooking Light, www.cookinglight.com/news/why-is-coconut-oil-unhealthy-for-you.
Kresser, Chris. “An Update on Omega-6 PUFAs.” Chris Kresser. 09 Dec. 2016. Web. 20 Mar. 2018.
Kresser, Chris. “RHR: Does Your Diet Affect Your Cholesterol Level?” Chris Kresser. 14 Aug. 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2018.
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