Americans have been fed the big fat lie.  Food processors, drug companies and conventional medicine have conned the average person into believing that dietary “fat” is the ultimate health evil.  For decades now the health of Americans has been undermined by  (1) not eating fat and (2) eating the wrong fats.   This has resulted in a wide range of health problems.

            While our popular culture has obsessed over fat being bad, fat was central to the Old Testament sacrificial system because of its value, and most Bible references to fat are positive:

“ . . . you shall eat the fat of the land” (Gen. 45:18c)

“Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord.”  (Neh. 8:10b)

“. . . Good news puts fat on the bones.”  (Prov. 15:30b)

THE LIE ON OBESITY

            For 30 years or more we’ve been told that low fat diets were good for losing weight.  But, in case you haven’t noticed, after decades of low fat dieting, Americans are fatter than ever.  Today 64% of U. S. adults aged 20 and over are either overweight (Body Mass Index of 25 or more) and 39% are clinically obese (BMI of 30 or more).

            The amazing truth is that you need dietary fat to lose weight, but it needs to be the right kind of fat.  Those in the livestock business understand this.  When fat was “in”, the fatter the animal the better.  Feeding pigs polyunsaturated fats like soybean or corn oil would put more fat on them.  To make the pigs leaner as slaughter was approaching, the Dept. of Animal Science at North Carolina State University found it necessary to stop feeding polyunsaturated fats and start feeding saturated fats like coconut oil.  Just like the pigs, eating polyunsaturated vegetable oils and avoiding saturated fats for 30 years have made Americans fat.

THE LIE ON CHOLESTEROL

            The “Lipid Hypothesis” as preached to Americans since the late 1950’s maintains a direct relationship between increased saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet and the incidence of heart disease.   The vegetable oil and food processing industries were quick to jump on this bandwagon abandoning more traditional usage of fats.

            In the early part of the 20th century a young doctor named Paul Dudley White (later President Eisenhower’s cardiologist) introduced the German electrocardiograph to America.  His Harvard colleagues advised him to choose a more profitable area of medicine, since heart disease was so rare.  This was of course back when everyone was eating lots and lots of animal fats.  Today, with most people avoiding animal fats, heart disease accounts for 40% of U. S. deaths.

            The famous Framingham, Massachusetts study on cholesterol found that “the more saturated fat one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the person’s serum cholesterol . . .”  Numerous other studies reached similar findings.

            Perhaps the most famous anti-fat guru of our day was Nathan Pritikin.  The Pritikin Diet was in its hey day when I wrote my first book in the 1970’s with people flocking to the Pritikin center in Santa Barbara.  To his credit, Pritikin also emphasized the elimination of refined sugar, refined flour and processed food along with an increased in fresh raw foods, whole grains and strenuous exercise.   While adherents had weight loss, improved blood pressure and lower cholesterol, they eventually suffered from low energy, poor concentration, depression, mineral deficiencies and ultimately weight gain.  Pritikin didn’t get heart disease to be sure — he got cancer.  He died from committing suicide in frustration over the failure of his diet relative to his own health problem.

TYPES OF FATTY ACIDS

Types by Saturation

1. Saturated — All available carbon bonds are occupied by a hydrogen atom, resulting in a very chemically stable fat.  Thus they do not normally go rancid, even when used in cooking.  Saturated fats (e. g. butter) are solid at room temperature.  If you have any doubt about the health benefits of saturated fats, let me mention that the butterfat in breast milk has 20% more saturated fats than lard!
2. Monounsaturated — These fatty acids have one double bond and thus lack two hydrogen atoms in their structure.  The body can synthesize monounsaturated fats from saturated fats.  As with the saturated fats, these oils (e. g. olive oil) are pretty stable and don’t easily go rancid.  Thus, they can be used in cooking.
3. Polyunsaturated — Having two or more pairs of double bonds, thus lacking four or more hydrogen atoms, these fatty acids are highly reactive, go rancid easily and should never be heated or used in cooking.  They remain liquid, even refrigerated.  Essential Fatty Acids (those only gotten from diet) are polyunsaturated.

            Excessive polyunsaturated fats, however, may contribute to cancer, heart disease, immune system problems, decreased learning ability, obesity, skin wrinkling and other problems.  This is likely due in large part to the easy chemical breakdown and free radical formation caused by rancidity or heating.

Types by Length

1. Short-chain — These fatty acids have four to six carbon atoms and are always saturated.  Butyric acid from butterfat is an example.  Short-chain fatty acids strengthen the immune system with their anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral characteristics.  Is it any wonder that immune systems are weaker during recent decades with the avoidance of these fats?

2. Medium-chain — Eight to twelve carbon atoms characterize these fatty acids, which include caprylic acid (used in anti-Candida formulas) and lauric acid, both naturally found in coconut oil.  In addition to the same anti-microbial and immune system stimulating properties of the short-chain fatty acids, the medium chains produce quick energy.
3. Long-chain — These fatty acids have 14 to 18 carbon atoms and can be saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated.  Examples include stearic acid from beef tallow (saturated), oleic acid from olive oil (monounsaturated) and gamma linolenic acid or GLA as found in evening primrose, black currant and borage oils (polyunsaturated).  GLA is significant in production of prostaglandins, localized hormones that regulate various cell processes.  Lack of prostaglandins has been implicated with inflammation, high blood pressure, digestive irritation, depressed immunity, cancer and obesity.

OMEGA-3/OMEGA-6

            Most people have heard of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. These are both polyunsaturates that are called Essential Fatty Acids — meaning the body cannot synthesize them, so they have to come from the diet.  Linoleic acid as in commercial polyunsaturated corn or soybean oils is typical of the Omega-6 structure, while linolenic acid as found in flaxseed, walnut or fatty fish oils exemplifies the Omega-3 (actually Iowa State University research has found grass-fed beef considerably higher in Omega 3 than fish).  Flaxseed and walnut oils are primarily alpha linolenic acid, while fish oils are primarily EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).

            The problem is that most people are getting too much Omega-6 and too little Omega-3, primarily due to the content of modern commercial vegetable oils.  A 15:1 Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio is typical today, whereas it’s believed that primitive man had closer to a 1:1 ratio.  Ratios of 4:1 and less correspond with reduction of cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis and breast cancer.

TRANS FATTY ACIDS

            Trans fatty acids, or trans fat, results from hydrogenation of vegetable oils into margarine or shortening.  In addition to these foods it is also found in fried foods like french fries, fried chicken, and doughnuts, as well as in cookies, pastries and crackers.

            Trans fat increases the LDL (low density lipoprotein — erroneously called “bad cholesterol”) and decreases the HDL (high density lipoprotein —erroneously called “good cholesterol”).  Trans fat causes arterial clogging, increased heart disease, Type II diabetes and other health problems.  There is no place for trans fat in a healthy diet.  Beginning in 2006, the FDA will be requiring trans fat to be listed on the Nutrition Facts labels on foods.  If a label lists hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil or shortening, you have trans fat.  Avoid it like the plague!

CANOLA OIL

            An interesting controversy has arisen over Canola oil.  Canola, originally developed in Canada, stands for “Canadian Oil Low Acid”.  Due to various articles on the Internet, Canola has become very controversial.  Proponents hail it as the healthiest salad and cooking oil available, while opponents say it’s inedible, toxic, related to mustard gas, causes Mad Cow Disease and numerous other charges.  Most of these allegations have been flatly refuted — they are largely “urban legends”.    Canola is a hybrid of rapeseed, which is toxic due to erucic acid content.  Canola was hybridized to almost totally remove the erucic acid, which is found in other common foods as well (e. g. mustard greens are 29% erucic acid).

            Having said that, I no longer recommend Canola oil, primarily because it has to be partially refined by hydrogenation to be used.  Thus, it is a source of trans fat.

GOOD FATS

            So what are the “good fats” — the ones that should be part of your diet and supplementation?

1. Virgin Coconut Oil — This healthy saturated fat has incredible potential benefits, including weight loss; reduction of heart disease risk; cholesterol lowering; help with chronic fatigue, diabetes, IBS and Crohn’s disease; stimulation of metabolism and proper thyroid function; energy improvements; skin improvements and wrinkle prevention; and immune stimulation as an anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal agent.
   My clinics recommend and sell Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil.  It is organically grown in the Philippines, where it is harvested in rural areas through local church groups.  The owner of the company is a Christian whose testimony is published on their website.
   Virgin Coconut Oil  can be used as a cooking oil, for baking, a butter alternative (though I also recommend butter), as an ingredient in smoothies or just taken directly in the mouth. It can also be used externally as a massage oil or for skin conditions.  Around 3 tablespoons per day with fiber foods is recommended.

2. Olive Oil — I recommend Extra Virgin (first pressing) Olive Oil on salads or other non-cooking usages.  Though it can be used for cooking, I feel the virgin coconut oil is superior.
3. Butter — Since publishing my first book in the 1970’s at the height of the presumed superiority of margarine, I have recommended butter.  This was long before the dangers of trans fat in margarine became known.  Margarine is an artificially saturated fat, while butter is a naturally saturated fat.  One’s a man-made food; the other is a God-made food.  The butyric acid in butter is a short-chain saturated fatty acid, thus giving it anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral benefits.
4. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) — CLA is a nutritional supplement sold in gel capsules.  This naturally-occurring fatty acid is found primarily in grass-fed dairy and beef, as well as in sunflower and safflower oils.  CLA increases the ability of cell membranes (other than fat cells) to open up and allow absorption of fats and other nutrients. It promotes the growth of muscles by letting nutrients into active muscle cells, thus making it popular with body builders.  Further, it pushes glucose into the muscle and connective tissue cells instead of letting it turn into body fat.  It is also reported to reduce protein breakdown that occurs with advancing age.
   Possible benefits of CLA supplementation include destroying cancer cells, reducing tumors, promoting weight loss, increasing muscle mass, limiting food allergy reactions, improving immune function relative to allergies and asthma, improving blood sugar levels and protecting against atherosclerosis.

            So, go enjoy the (good) fat of the land!

Better Health Update is published by Pacific Health Center, PO Box 1066, Sisters, Oregon 97759, Phone (800) 255–4246 with branch clinics in Boise, Idaho, Post Falls, Idaho and Portland, Oregon.  E-Mail:  drkline@pacifichealthcenter.com.   Monte Kline, Clinical Nutritionist, Author.  Reproduction Prohibited.

DISCLAIMER:  The information contained in this publication is for educational purposes only.  It is not intended to diagnose illness nor prescribe treatment.  Rather, this material  is designed to be used in cooperation with your nutritionally-oriented health professional to deal with your personal health problems.  Should you use this information on your own, you are prescribing for yourself, which is your constitutional right, but neither the author nor publisher assume responsibility.