Leading Heart Expert Says Fats Are NOT To Blame For Heart Disease

NaturalSociety  March 11 2014

LowFatDietThe low-fat craze of recent decades has been called into question in the last few years, as many scientists and health experts say it isn’t fats we should be concerned about at all. What’s more, it’s coming to light that saturated fats are not the villains when it comes to heart disease. Dr. James DiNicolantonio, a cardiovascular researcher based in New York, recently penned an editorial in the medical journal Open Heart saying low-fat diets do not curb heart disease or help you live longer.

“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,” said Dr. DiNicolantonio in his paper.

Dietary advice still being perpetuated today is based on evidence from the 1950s, evidence DiNicolantonio says is flawed. This research, from more than 50 years ago was based on data from six countries, in a pool of research including 16 countries. The study author back then cherry-picked his findings to fit his hypothesis, according to DiNicolantonio.

“There is no conclusive proof that a low-fat diet has any positive effects on health,” he wrote. “Indeed, the literature indicates a general lack of any effect (good or bad) from a reduction in fat intake.”

The Open Heart study concludes:

“In summary, the benefits of a low-fat diet (particularly a diet replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates or Ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids) are severely challenged. Dietary guidelines should assess the totality of the evidence and strongly reconsider their recommendations for replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates or Ω-6 polyunsaturated fats.”

As Medical News Today and NaturalSociety report, DiNicolantonio isn’t alone in his beliefs that saturated fats are not harmful and refined carbohydrates and polyunsaturated fats are the real culprits. One UK cardiologist, Aseem Malhotra, made waves when he said the entire saturated fat scare is a farce. Explaining in a study published in the British Medical Journal, Malhotra says the issue isn’t as simple as we’ve been led to believe, and that the saturated fat scare has led to millions being over-medicated with dangerous statins.

Replacing saturated fats—like those found in animal products—with polyunsaturated fats could actually increase the risk of heart disease, cancer, and overall mortality.

DiNicolantonio has some very positive recommendations, suggesting people need to stop purchasing “low-fat” and “fat-free” products and instead focus on eating “real food” or foods that are unprocessed. This list includes things like organic nuts, vegetables, fruits, and grass-fed meat.

“Currently, a large amount of the data in the literature have tested varying levels of macronutrients vs. another (for example, low-carb vs. low-fat), but now we need more data on the health benefits of different foods,” said DiNicolantonio commenting that the mere parts of the food do not represent the food as a synergistic whole.

DiNicolantonio concluded:

“In summary, the benefits of a low-fat diet (particularly a diet replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates or Ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids) are severely challenged. Dietary guidelines should assess the totality of the evidence and strongly reconsider their recommendations for replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates or Ω-6 polyunsaturated fats.”

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