So I’ve been hearing it for years - saturated fats are bad, mmkay, you should limit your saturated fat intake, mmkay, saturated fats increase LDL cholesterol, mmkay, and that’s bad, mmkay.
Is there a good resource to help me understand the pharmacology of this? I’m not looking for additional sources that assert the unhealthiness of saturated fats but that do not explain why or how. I’m looking to understand why and how saturated fats reduce your health. For example, is there a specific chemical reaction that converts saturated fat to LDL cholesterol where the reaction doesn’t work with an unsaturated fat molecule?
One line of thought is this:
Saturated fats are “straight” on a molecular level. Because of this , they tend to create dense accumulations on the artery walls, leading to obstructions. Mono- and poly- unsaturated fats are “crooked,” and they do not tend to clump as much.
I’m not sure how much of this is just “woo,” but I’ve been avoiding them, and I lost 30 lbs. by doing so.
More likely, that’s because you reduced your calorie intake.
Of note, to go with HongKongFooey’s link, here is another article that says while saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol, there are different kinds of LDL cholesterol (FWIW, not all HDL is good either), and the kind that saturated fat increases is harmless, while carbohydrates increase VLDL cholesterol (very small particles):
Also, this graph of changes in calorie intake from food source in recent decades shows that most of the increase is from grains, in addition to added fats, including trans fats, and sugars. Note also the astonishing number of calories (about 40% of the total daily intake!) from nutritionally worthless added fats and sugars - so if you want to cut calories, cut them from added fats (which as previously mentioned, includes a lot of trans fats, which have been shown to only be bad for you, unless they are those naturally occurring in some foods) and sugars (which are also bad for reasons other than empty calories), as opposed to real foods. In fact, we consume the recommended RDA of fats from added fats alone (also of significance is that some studies show that consuming saturated fat by itself is bad, but it isn’t bad when consumed with other fats; many processed foods contain disproportionate amounts of saturated fat).
In addition, here is a study that finds that eating meat (which has saturated fat in it) - even red meat - isn’t linked to heart diseases - unless it is processed/cured meat (hot dogs, bacon, salami, etc; likely because of the nitrites and byproducts formed during curing):
Similarly, people who eat lots of dairy (also high in saturated fat) are found to have reduced risks of heart disease and diabetes (15 studies):
(on this note, high-fat dairy has also been found to be inversely correlated with body fat, presumably because it is more satiating, since whole milk does have nearly twice the calories of skim milk).
Not saying that you can eat as much saturated fat as you want, but eating a normal diet (or what I eat) it isn’t that hard to stay under the recommendations (20 grams a day), which roughly fall in line with the percentage of saturated fat in meat (i.e. 100% of your total fat intake from meat is also about 100% of your saturated fat intake, and of course you aren’t going to eat only meat, so some of your fat will come from other sources).
Well to add to this unsaturated non-trans fats(cis) are crooked. Trans fats, which are a form of unsaturated fat, are locked into being straight.(Admittedly this is just what I picked up from a couple courses in organic chem so I’m no expert.)
Here is one article that elucidates some potential mechanisms. According to them the mechanisms include:
Effects on LDL receptor activity, protein, and mRNA abundance. The specific means by which that occurs is explained in the article but the bottom line is that fewer and less active LDL receptors means less clearing of LDL from circulation, and of course, visa versa. Some SFAs do the former and some PUFAs the latter.
Other certain PUFA effects on various rate limiting enzymes involved in lipid and cholesterol production an secretion. Details on those effects are also in that article
Another proposed mechanism involves certain SFAs interfering with the anti-inflammatory properties of HDLs (while certain PUFAs promote it).
HDLs also seem to involved in plaque regression (“reverse cholesterol transport”) and one can speculate that certain SFA induced HDL dysfunction could decrease that process as well.
There may also be other direct effects on vascular function that play a pathophysiologic role.
Oh. Not to enter the whole SFA debate, but I do use the word “certain” several times above with some intent. Which SFA, which food source it is contained within, what its decrease is substituted with, which PUFAs, likely all matter. So far what we can say [with some certainty](strong evidence of a causal relationship for protective factors, including intake of vegetables, nuts, and monounsaturated fatty acids and Mediterranean, prudent, and high-quality dietary patterns, and harmful factors, including intake of trans–fatty acids and foods with a high glycemic index or load and a western dietary pattern.) is that there is “strong evidence of a causal relationship for protective factors, including intake of vegetables, nuts, and monounsaturated fatty acids and Mediterranean, prudent, and high-quality dietary patterns, and harmful factors, including intake of trans–fatty acids and foods with a high glycemic index or load and a western dietary pattern” and “modest evidence to support a causal relationship for intake of fish, marine ω-3 fatty acids, folate, whole grains, dietary vitamins E and C and beta carotene, alcohol, fruits, and fiber.”
Trying to pin down individual dietary components in isolation as “good” or “bad” has been difficult; not so difficult to state that diets relatively higher in PUFAs and MUFAs including sources such as nuts, seeds, and fish, and relatively lower in SFAs, and high in vegetables and fruits, are associated with a wide variety of positive health outcomes. And that the Standard American Diet (high in SFAs, processed foods, and simple carbohydrates) is associated with worse outcomes.
(The article linked to btw is the same one that blog goes on about and is what it actually says.)
Saturated fats are more naturally-occurring in hotter climates and environments. Therefore, it probably makes sense to tailor your fat intake to your climate. In cold weather, eat more fatty cold-water fish. In very hot weather, you can probably eat a little coconut oil (hopefully unrefined) and other saturated fats safely.
Yes that includes foods with added sucrose and HFCS.
Also the “western” pattern, often also referred to as the Standard American Diet (SAD), is usually understood to include high amounts of sugars. If your critique is that they explicitly mention “refined grains” but fail to specify other (high sugar) high glycemic index foods in their brief definition of the terms, I would suggest that you are either picking nits or missing the bigger picture completely.
That article, devoted to convincing your friends that your high fat diet isn’t bad for you, on a website promoting a book about a high fat diet, has completely convinced me. I’m going to go eat a pound of butter right now!
Do you have a cite for this? It makes absolutely no sense that the human body would operate so differently in different environmental surroundings; the diet of the Inuit is that way because of local food sources, same for the diet of the Masai or Australian aborigines or whatever; only when agriculture came into play could humans eat a specific diet that wasn’t related to what was naturally found in their environment (and the problems are mainly due to being to unbalanced; e.g. a diet based mainly on wheat).
I provided numerous cites to scientific studies that showed that saturated fat isn’t really bad for you, or foods like red meat (unless processed) and dairy have no impact on heart disease (or even an inverse correlation in the latter case; some saturated fats are even anti-atherosclerotic if eaten as part of a balanced diet).
Of course, butter is more of an added fat (as opposed to fat in cheese or milk), which is what is really seriously wrong with the modern diet; about 1,000 calories a day (about 40% of the total) come from nutritionally worthless added fats and sugars (would you intentionally eat that much candy a day? I don’t think so, but that is pretty much what we do) - imagine what those could be replaced with; for example, only about 200 calories come from fruits and vegetables - exchange added fats and sugars for those and you increase your intake of these nutritionally important foods by sixfold, far above recommendations (or more like 4-5x, reducing overall calorie intake, since you’ll still get fat if you eat too much).
Also of note, keeping in mind the soaring rates of chronic diet-related diseases:
It’s interesting to note that meat and dairy (high saturated fat foods) declined a bit, yet we are in an epidemic of obesity and all of its comorbidities (again, refer to my previous post, especially the part about LDL cholesterol and carbs, plus of course trans fats).
Therefore, if you are worried about saturated fat or any other nutrient, cut out those added fats and sugars!
Well, you went wrong as soon as you said human body. A diet that is composed of local foods, in season, is automatically (more or less) equally ideal for ANY species. Humans’ digestion and body chemistry isn’t particularly unique. There are lots of other omnivorous mammals around, like bears/boar/chimpanzees/etc.. All of these creatures are eating climate-appropriate diets…they have no choice.
If you really want a cite about saturated fats being more common in hotter climates, yes, I can provide that. Do you really need one, though? Just use the knowledge you already have. Fatty cold-water fish are VERY low in saturated fat. They are in a very cold environment. OTOH, coconut oil and red palm oil are basically 100% saturated. Those oils are from a very HOT climate. But yes, I can provide cites.
The basics of it is that saturated fat is more protective against UV radiation. Unsaturated fats tend to break down more easily in response to UV radiation. This would imply that a sunnier climate near the equator is a place where saturated fats would be more appropriate.
In addition, saturated fats are more solid at lower temperatures. this would imply that they are not as appropriate for colder weather, because they need to be able to flow through your body without gumming up the works, so to speak.
Well, I hope they are not (and the science is definitely not conclusive), because I practically live on them - and feel and look great, and have perfect health markers. Check back with me in 30 years.
