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Time Magazine article says “Eat Butter”. Really?

I’ve got to give credit to Bryan Walsh, author of the article, “Eat Butter”,  for such a catchy title.  It appeared in the June 23, 2014 issue of Time Magazine.  He did with that title what all articles should do —he got my attention.  As a dietitian, I was compelled to read on.  How, after decades of healthcare professionals and the government dispensing recommendations to eat a low-fat diet, were we being given a free pass to eat fat?

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In 1980, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the advice of the National Institutes of Health, codified how Americans should eat by issuing the first dietary guidelines.  We were told to eat less fat and cholesterol to reduce our risk of a heart attack.  It did seem like the logical approach when studies showed that the risk of heart disease was higher in people with arteries that were clogged with cholesterol-filled plaque.  This plaque buildup blocks the flow of blood in arteries.  Even worse is when the cholesterol plaque ruptures, creating a blood clot that can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

 

The Food Industry Reduces the Fat in Our Food

Food manufacturers were quick to fulfill those dietary guidelines by producing products that contained less fat and cholesterol.  The dairy industry was one of the first to provide us with “light” or “low-fat” versions of milk, yogurt, and cheeses.  The egg industry followed suit by creating egg products that contained just egg whites since the cholesterol in eggs is found in the yolk.  It was thought that too much cholesterol in the diet leads to too much cholesterol in the bloodstream.  Our breakfasts were now egg white omelets and skim milk.  To replace the fat in processed foods, the food industry increased the carbohydrates.  So instead of a lot of fat, we were eating more carbohydrates, most often simple carbohydrates or plain sugar.

The industry reasoned that carbohydrates were a benign nutrient while fat was lethal.  Also, with Americans needing to lose weight, one gram of carbohydrates contains only 4 calories, whereas one gram of fat contains 9 calories.  And if Americans weren’t eating as much fat, it was also reasoned that they would replace that fat with more fruits and vegetables.  As Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, put it, “That was naïve.”  It’s challenging enough to get Americans to eat the recommended 5-7 fruits and vegetables a day.  What made the healthcare industry think that Americans would naturally gravitate toward fruits and vegetables to replace the “demon” fat?

 

Carbohydrates Are Not the Answer

With the removal of fat from food, more refined carbohydrates were consumed.  Compare the food labels of low-fat foods to their full-fat versions.  More often than not you’ll see greater amounts of “sugars” in the low-fat version as listed in the Nutrition Facts panel and some form of sugar mentioned in the ingredient list.   Something needed to be added to provide the flavor that was now missing without the usual amount of fat.

What we’ve since learned is that eating simple carbohydrates creates spikes in insulin — a hormone that is triggered to remove too much glucose in the bloodstream.  The insulin does a great job, depositing the glucose in as many places as necessary.  Some of it goes to the brain.  Some of it goes into the muscles.  The rest of it goes into the liver for storage and to be repackaged into fat, which is then deposited in the fat cells (most often around the mid-section).  You can see then how excess carbohydrates make it that much more difficult to lose weight.  And for the overweight individual who has already developed metabolic syndrome  — a condition that sets up insulin resistance —  even more insulin is necessary to rid the bloodstream of excess glucose.  In turn, more fat storage is encouraged.

 

A Chink in the Armor

Studies have shown that saturated fat tends to increase LDL-cholesterol, the so-called “bad” cholesterol, the type that tends to build up in arterial plaque.  But interestingly, saturated fat has also been shown to increase HDL-cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol.  HDL helps remove LDL-cholesterol from the bloodstream and cart it away to the liver for processing so it’s less available for becoming part of arterial plaque.  Maybe saturated fat isn’t so bad after all?

What is known is that excess carbohydrates are associated with 1) greater amounts of triglycerides (fats) in the blood and 2) lower production of HDL-cholesterol.  Both factors can set a person up for heart disease.  Replacing the fat in our food with simple carbohydrates is appearing to have been a mistake.  Is putting saturated fat back into the diet the answer?

Studies have shown that while saturated fat may increase LDL-cholesterol, it increases “large” LDL particles.  In this case, size really matters.  LDL-cholesterol comes in two sizes: small and dense or large and fluffy.  It’s the small, dense particles that have a cholesterol-raising effect and deleterious effect on plaque production.   Since saturated fat increases the large and fluffy LDL particles, it may be time to consider allowing sources of saturated fat (e.g., butter, meat, etc.) back into the diet.  However, keep in mind that there is still a limit to how much saturated and total fat you should be eating.  These studies only point out that you shouldn’t fear fat — just approach it carefully and knowledgeably.

 

Hedging Their Bets

Many studies have focused on the benefits of replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated fat (found in such foods as olive oil and avocados) and polyunsaturated fat (found in corn oil and soybean oil).  No one has ever said that fat should be completely removed from the diet.  However, when we see that replacing carbohydrates in the diet with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat decreases LDL-cholesterol and increases HDL-cholesterol, it’s a natural conclusion to make that those are the types of fats we should be eating.

Yet, proponents of coconut fat, a highly saturated fat, don’t agree.  That’s because the saturated fat in coconut is mostly made up of medium-chain triglycerides.  The way the body processes medium-chain triglycerides is different than long-chain fats and can be beneficial.

For now, I believe many will continue with the idea that while replacing fat with carbohydrates was a bad experiment, replacing saturated fat with monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats is a better choice.  Until more studies can be conducted on determining the benefits of saturated fat, the healthcare industry will play it safe saying that mono- and polyunsaturated fats are the better alternatives.

And those in the industry know the challenge with telling Americans that saturated fat is no longer considered detrimental to their health.  Americans will invariably feel they now can justifiably eat all the whole milk, cheeses, butter, ice cream, sausages, hamburger, cookies, etc. they want.  In turn, Americans will become even more overweight and obese and increase their risk for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer even more.

 

Make It Real

If we stopped relying on processed and packaged foods and ate as Michael Pollan said in his book, “In Defense of Food”, that is, eat “real food”, we might not be in this predicament.  It’s not that beef shouldn’t be on the menu.  Just not factory made beef where cattle are eating foods that aren’t naturally in their diet.  Instead, have grass-fed beef.  Eat organic produce so you’re not eating pesticides along with the fruits and vegetables.  If the package label of a particular food has ingredients with names you’ve never heard of, put it back on the shelf.

No matter what you choose to eat, eat sensibly.  Having too much of anything isn’t a good thing.  Even too many carrots can make your skin turn yellow.  Too much beef can possibly lead to colon cancer.  Too many carbohydrates can lead to obesity.  And while the jury is still out on whether it’s safe to eat saturated fat, be smart about how much you do have.

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