428 Is Coconut Oil Dangerous? [10 July 2017]

Did you see the headlines last month warning about the dangers of coconut oil? “Coconut oil health claims not all they’re cracked up to be” (CBC News) or “Coconut Oil is Unhealthy according to the AHA” (Huffington Post). These news articles are referring to a June 15, 2017, article in the journal Circulation titled “Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory from the American Heart Association”.

The twelve authors of the Advisory recommend replacing saturated fats – including coconut oil which they specifically warn against – with polyunsaturated vegetable oils, and claim that doing so would lower LDL cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) by 30%. They based this on what they called “…the totality of the scientific evidence, satisfying rigorous criteria…”

Unfortunately their “rigorous criteria” was fatally biased and their conclusions decades out of date and at odds with modern science. In a rebuttal published in Cardio Brief Gary Taubes explains why:
• They cherry-picked the studies, eliminating most for various reasons, and selected four, all of which supported the saturated fat CVD hypothesis. The problem is these four all date from the 1960s and have more serious flaws than the ones they eliminated.
• Among the eliminated studies are the largest trials ever done on the issue: the Sydney Heart Study, the Minnesota Coronary Survey and the Women’s Health Initiative, and several independent meta-analyses, all of which refute the saturated fat hypothesis of heart disease [see my posts #244, #259 & #261].
• The control diet of the early studies contained significantly higher trans fatty acids and sugar than did the unsaturated group, both of which are known to cause CVD and could account for the reduction in heart disease.
• Coconut oil was not part of any of the studies used and is mentioned only because of its saturated fat, but much of coconut’s saturated fatty acids are beneficial MCTs.
• Polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acids, which the study recommends, promotes inflammation which is known to increase heart disease and overall mortality.

So the authors’ conclusions and recommendations are not only unscientific and misleading, but dangerous. It’s almost as if the Canadian Cancer Society warned us about the dangers of exercise and told us to take up smoking instead.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

330 Healthy Cooking Oils [3 August 2015]

I know, grammatically it should be “healthful cooking oils”, that is oils that promote health when consumed, not oils that are feeling pretty good themselves. But “healthful” is such a mouthful that this is one grammatical error that I hope will become accepted in the English language. By the way, if you are interested in the history of the English language take a look at my other blog “The English Cowpath”.

Healthy cooking oil is a very controversial topic – every website has a different opinion – to which I can’t do justice in one article. There are four factors to consider in evaluating the health value of cooking oils: smoke point, oxidative stability, nutrient content, and omega 6 content.

1) Smoke point is the temperature at which the oil starts to smoke, producing toxic byproducts and an unpleasant taste (note: if the oil in your pan starts to smoke, discard it, clean the pan, and start over). Oils with high smoke points are needed for pan frying and deep frying, for example: avocado, camelina, and virgin olive. Coconut, extra virgin olive, and macadamia oils have moderately high smoke points and could be used for low temperature sautéing. Oils with a low smoke point like flaxseed should only be consumed raw as a salad oil or in a smoothie.

2) Oxidative stability is actually more important than smoke point for determining the healthfulness of cooking oils. Oils begin to combine with oxygen to form toxic compounds at temperatures well below the smoke point. Camelina, an otherwise very healthy oil with a high smoke point, scores low on this scale, as do all polyunsaturated oils. Highly saturated fats like coconut oil are more stable. One that shows great promise is red palm olein whose promoters claim has both a high smoke point and the highest oxidative stability of any cooking oil. Red palm olein also has a very high content of vitamin E (tocotrienols) and vitamin A (carotenes).

3) Nutrient content is not as big an issue for cooking oils, as you should be consuming the more nutritious oils raw.

4) The Omega 6 content is important if you are consuming a significant amount of fried foods. To achieve the ideal 4:1 ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 oils, you must avoid oils with a very high 6:3 ratio like corn, safflower and grapeseed; use oils with moderately high ratios like avocado sparingly; and use raw oils high in Omega 3s like flax and camelina (or supplement with omega 3 fish oils).

Sources:
What you need to know about eating oils, Samantha Sutherland, Feb. 2013, MBG
Making Sense of Healthy Cooking Oils & Fats, Irene Macri, Jan. 2014, Eat Drink Paleo - well researched, lists smoking points
What oil should you be cooking with? Joseph Mercola, Oct. 2003

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

261 Reducing Cardiovascular Disease [31 March 2014]

One of the three medical journal articles mentioned in my March 17 column #259 deserves a closer look. Aseem Malhotra, a UK cardiologist, wrote in an October 2013 British Medical Journal editorial: “It’s time to bust the myth of the role of saturated fat in heart disease.”

Malhotra also points out that a pattern of blood lipids called atherogenic dyslipidemia is a more significant risk factor of cardiovascular disease than total cholesterol. This pattern of high LDL cholesterol, low HDL, and high triglycerides is commonly associated with metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. Atherogenic dyslipidemia responds well to a low carb diet but not to a low fat diet.

Dr. Malhotra claims that despite 60 million prescriptions annually for statin drugs in the UK there is no evidence that they have reduced cardiovascular deaths. He also observed that 66% of patients hospitalized with a heart attack have metabolic syndrome while only 25% have abnormal cholesterol.

Malhotra pointed out that statins are known to prevent second heart attacks when used at high doses, regardless of the patients’ cholesterol levels. This and the fact that no other cholesterol lowering drug reduces cardiac mortality, suggests to him that statins work by stabilizing plaque and reducing inflammation, rather than by lowering cholesterol. An interesting theory which, if found to be true, should prompt researchers to look for safer means to reduce inflammation. On the issue of safety, Malhotra reported a study which found that 20% of patients stopped taking statin drugs because of unacceptable side effects.

For prevention, Malhotra promotes the Mediterranean diet which he claims is more effective at reducing cardiovascular disease than a low fat diet or statin drugs. This diet is high in olive oil, fruit, nuts (especially walnuts), vegetables, and cereals; moderate in fish and poultry; and low in red and processed meats and dairy. Wine is used in moderation and only with meals.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

259 Saturated Fats Found Not Guilty [17 March 2014]

Three recent medical articles published in the British Medical Journal clear saturated fats as the cause of heart disease. I am hopeful that this myth which has pervaded dietary advice for half a century is finally being laid to rest.

Dr. James DiNicolantonio, a New York clinical pharmacist, wrote in a March 5 2014 editorial that:
• The 1950s study by Ansel Keys on which the saturated fat - heart disease theory is based is flawed because Keys selected data from only 6 countries that fit his hypothesis, excluding 16 countries which didn’t.
• Study after study have failed to show that reducing saturated fats is protective from heart disease or stroke.
• Replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated (PUFA) Omega 6 fats (e.g. canola, corn and safflower oil) increases risk of cancer and heart disease.
• Diets high in refined carbohydrates, not saturated fats, are responsible for rising rates of obesity and diabetes.

A study published in February 2013 took a new look at data from the 1966-73 Sydney Diet Heart Study and concluded:
• Reducing saturated fats showed no cardiovascular benefit.
• Substituting LA (linoleic acid, an Omega-6 PUFA) for saturated fats increased the rates of death from heart disease and all causes.
• Previous studies showing cardiovascular benefits can be explained by an increase in Omega-3, not a decrease in saturated fats or an increase in Omega 6.
• Reducing saturated fats reduced total cholesterol but did not reduce the risk of heart attacks and death, so the cholesterol-heart disease theory is not supported.

In October 2013 Aseem Malhotra, a UK cardiologist, wrote in an editorial: “recent prospective cohort studies have not supported any significant association between saturated fat intake and cardiovascular risk…instead, saturated fat has been found to be protective.”

In summary for cardiovascular health:
• saturated fats (animal fat, butter, coconut oil) are neutral or somewhat beneficial
• Omega-6 PUFAs (most vegetable oils) are harmful
• Omega-3 PUFAs (fish oils, flax oil) are beneficial
• trans fatty acids (shortening, hard margarines) are harmful
• monounsaturated fats like olive oil are beneficial (part of the famous Mediterranean diet)

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

244 Cholesterol & Saturated Fat [25 Nov 2013]

A few weeks ago (#241 “Fatheads” column) I discussed the importance of good fats for brain health and assured you that you would not be trading a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s for a higher risk of heart disease. Since North Americans have been bombarded with the message of “artery-clogging saturated fats” for 60 years (my entire lifetime) this merits further discussion.

Critics of the cholesterol-saturated-fats-heart-disease theory claim overwhelming evidence that not only are these nutrients not the cause of heart disease, but they are essential for good health including heart health. Here are a few of the studies they cite (source: mercola.com):
• A 2010 meta-analysis found no difference in risk of heart disease and stroke between people with the lowest and highest intakes of saturated fat
• The Framingham Heart study found that those with higher intake of saturated fats and cholesterol actually had lower serum cholesterol and body weight
• A 2010 article in Am J Clin Nutr argues that the benefits of reducing saturated fats depend on what replaces it and concludes “dietary efforts to improve the … CVD risk associated with … dyslipidemia should primarily emphasize the limitation of refined carbohydrate intakes and a reduction in excess adiposity.”

In other words replacing fat in your diet with refined carbohydrates will, as I’ve explained before, lead to insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, high serum triglycerides & LDL cholesterol, and ultimately heart disease. The best way to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease is to reduce refined carbohydrates and maintain a healthy weight. And saturated fats can safely play a larger role in that plan.

A good source of information on cholesterol is the website cholesterol-and-health.com by Chris Masterjohn PhD. He explains the problems with the lipid hypothosis and describes the newer “Oxidized LDL” theory which more accurately models the formation of atherosclerosis. The war on cholesterol (and saturated fat) has been misguided at best. As Masterjohn puts it “the war they are waging is not the path of science. Science is not a war against molecules. It is a search for truth.”

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.