In my previous article I showed you the massive flaws, in the only research ever conducted, that concludes saturated fat was bad for us. But what about the other side of the argument? Is there any research that suggests saturated fats can help us lose weight? Yes there is…
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The first bit of proof was uncovered in the 1960’s. George Mann of the Vanderbilt University conducted a study on the Masai tribe of Kenya and Tanzania. He found that their diet consisted almost entirely of raw milk (unpasteurised), red meet and blood. This means that their diet was about 60% fat, half of which saturated.
Strangely enough, despite the fact their diet was high in fat, the Masai has low blood cholesterol, very low body fat percentage, and heart disease was almost unheard of.
There have also been several studies on the indigenous populations of islands found in the pacific ocean. Again, cases of heart disease are rare, if not unheard of. But the natural diets of the pacific islanders are high in saturated fats, thanks to the palm cocoa and coconut plants that grow in the area.
The Eskimo population also enjoy low rates of heart disease even though they dine almost exclusively on seal fat, organ meats, fish and whale blubber.
However, you could always argue that populations are just “lucky” because they have “good genetics” and aren’t predisposed to heart disease of storing body fat.
Well there has actually been research into the “good genetics” theory. A group of British researchers took Mann’s findings one step further and started following Masai men that had left the tribe. These men were living in a more cosmopolitan city and eating a more westernized diet. The researchers found that cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease amongst these men had shot through the roof.
This has also been observed in pacific islanders that have moved away from their native lands and follow a westernized diet.
Sounds as though the westernized diet, and its reliance on processed foods has a lot to do with heart disease. But we’ll cover that a bit later on.
Types Of Saturated Fats
There are more than 12 ‘types’ of saturated fats, with the most common being stearic acid, palmitic acid and lauric acid.
Stearic Acid – It is a pretty commonly accepted fact amongst the scientific community that stearic acid has no negative impact on the risk of heart disease. In fact it might actually help to reduce it.
One of the clues to its neutral-to-positive grading, is the way the body processes the fatty acid. Stearic acid is broken down by the liver into oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat. Oleic acid is found in pretty heavy quantities in Olive oil. And we all know that olive oil is regarded as a heart healthy food.
Animal fats and cocoa are the most common sources of stearic acid.
Lauric Acid – Did you know that lauric acid has been proven to significantly increase levels of the good HDL cholesterol? It has also been shown to improve your overall immune system.
How about this for a health recommendation. Lauric acid is currently being studies to measure its effectiveness as an immune system booster in HIV and AIDS patients.
Palm and coconut oil are the number 1 sources of lauric acid.
Palmitic Acid – If you are worried about your cholesterol levels then your doctor might have told you to stay away from foods containing palmitic acid. That’s because it is known to increase levels of the “bad” LDL cholesterol. What the doc might not have told you is that it increases levels of the “good” HDL cholesterol to the same, if not slightly more, extent.
So palmitic acid helps you to improve your cholesterol ratio, or at worse keeps it the same. With this in mind it cannot be regarded as increasing heart disease risk.
So if saturated fat isn’t bad for you, and is not a cause of heart disease, then what is?
The REAL Causes Of Heart Disease
The REAL factors behind the increase in heart disease and chronic obesity are:
Smoking
Stress
Lack of exercise
High fructose corn syrup and refined sugar (this stuff is packed in to the “fat free” health foods we’re told to buy!)
Refined vegetable and cooking oils
White/ refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta and rice
And here’s a big one… Trans fats (and artificial, hydrogenated oils)
The real cause of heart disease and other degenerative diseases is inflammation inside your body. All of the factors listed above can cause this inflammation, and are the real risk factors. Not saturated fats.
I hope that this article has opened your eyes as far as saturated fats are concerned. I’m not telling you that it is safe to eat processed foods that contain a lot of saturated fats, but the natural, unprocessed foods won’t harm you. Lean red meat, coconut oil, avocado and dark chocolate are all part of my balanced nutritional program.
Don’t be fooled by the “health food” industry. If you’re serious about melting those excess lbs, check out David’s Fat Burning Foods blog. Learn the truth about Saturated Fat and the foods that are sabotaging your weight loss.