Saturated Fat Does Not Clog the Arteries: Coronary Heart Disease Is a Chronic Inflammatory Condition
This is actually an editorial published in the
British Journal of Sports Medicine. But more than that, it is a systematic review and meta-analysis of a number of observational studies.
2 Jumping right to its conclusion, the analysis
showed no association, in healthy adults, between saturated fat consumption and:
- All-cause mortality
- Coronary heart disease (CHD)
- CHD mortality
- Ischemic stroke
- Type 2 diabetes
Essentially, the authors concluded that coronary artery disease pathogenesis and treatment "urgently require a paradigm shift." Despite popular belief among doctors and the public, the study categorically concluded that the conceptual model of dietary saturated fat clogging a pipe is just plain wrong. As cardiologist, Dr. Aseem Malholtra, one of the study's authors said in an interview, "One thing that's very clear when you look at the totality of the evidence: saturated fat does not clog the heart arteries. And sadly, for many years -- for decades, in fact -- this has been the primary focus of treatment of heart disease and public health advice."
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Similarly, in the secondary prevention of CHD, the authors observed that their meta-analysis revealed that there is no benefit from reduced fat, including saturated fat, on myocardial infarction (heart attacks), cardiovascular mortality, or all-cause mortality. And finally, as the researchers stated, it is instructive to note that in an angiographic study of postmenopausal women with CHD (one of the studies that the meta-analysis looked at), a greater intake of saturated fat was actually associated with
less progression of atherosclerosis,
whereas carbohydrate and polyunsaturated fat intake were associated with greater progression.
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According to the authors, the best predictor of heart disease risk involves a high total cholesterol (TC) to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio,
not low-density lipoprotein. You might want to read that sentence again. It's pretty much the opposite of what your doctor has been telling you for years. Instead, the researchers explained that dietary changes, such as replacing refined carbohydrates with healthful high-fat foods including olive oil and nuts, can significantly reduce the high TC to HDL ratio. The reason for getting rid of the refined carbohydrates, as cardiologist Dr. Michael Farkouh said, is that when the body becomes resistant to insulin, an inflammatory response is triggered. "What this editorial really brought to light was that your diet, if it's a diet rich in carbohydrates, can be associated with what's called insulin resistance.
That allows your innate inflammatory process in the body to attack the vessel wall and start the process of hardening of the arteries."
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https://jonbarron.org/heart-health/new-information-saturated-fat#