Our country has a dark, dirty secret. We’ve been lied to for decades. We were told that fat and cholesterol are bad for you and it will cause heart disease. Well the evidence that is emerging is telling a different story. How did this happen? 

In 1955, President Eisenhower had a heart attack. The nation was shocked and in fear as this was not common in those times. Dr. Ancel Keys arrived on the scene and became known for the “diet-heart hypothesis”. This is where the long standing belief that cholesterol causes heart disease came from. Dr. Keys was a physiologist and conducted large population studies on heart disease. The problem is that Dr. Keys cherry picked his data as he was eager to prove his theory right. Dr. Keys had a reputation for being persuasive and in 1961, was able to convince the head of the American Heart Association to recommend a diet that was low in fat and high in carbs. Incidentally, corn is the number one crop in the United States. So now we have a situation where large scale food companies are incentivized to make foods that are processed with anything rather than saturated fat. It is cheaper to use vegetable oils such as corn oil rather than butter anyway. Suddenly, these oils become ubiquitous and we are told they are good for you. 

But they’re not.

These oils require high levels of heat to draw oil from the seed and include cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil, safflower oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, soy oil, and rice bran oil. These are what Dr. Cate Shanahan calls “the hateful eight”. These oils cause high levels of damage and chronic inflammation to our bodies. These oils (that were originally intended for use in soaps by Proctor and Gamble), are produced through hydrogenation, which makes the molecules highly unstable and are why they cause damage. Furthermore, the process of making these oils creates a foul smelling oil, and deodorizing chemicals are added to improve the smell, creating trans fats. These artificial trans fats are known to be hazardous for our health. 

It is important to note that fats are a crucial macronutrient that our bodies need. They play a role in lining organs, insulating nerves, brain function, and absorption of the fat soluble vitamins; A, D, E, and K. Lack of ability to absorb vitamin D in particular can have a negative affect on our immune system. Fats are also a source of fuel for the body. Carbohydrates, or sugars are also a primary source of fuel. So if you void the body of fat sources, the body must rely on sugars for fuel. This will lead to metabolic reliance on sugar and “metabolic syndrome”. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that tend to occur together including diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. It’s no wonder that years after the fat-free craze dating back to 1961, we see an increase in metabolic syndrome. Childhood obesity and stroke continues to rise. 

So how do we know which fats and oils are good or bad? If they just have to be pressed, (like olives or avocados) to draw the oil, they are good. If they have to be exposed to high levels of heat, they are bad. Here is a helpful chart:

When I tell my athletes about this, the common response is, “well I only use olive oil”. Which is great, but the problem is once you start reading labels, it will be depressing to see just how widespread these seed oils are. You’ll find them in crackers, chips, pretzels, store bought salad dressing, commercial hummus, and as I sadly realized just a few days ago, even in almond and oat milk. The problem is deep in the United States, and the solution, as always, is to eat real food and avoid processed foods. Make sure to get the good fats in, stay away from simple sugars and industrial seed oils. 

This is a must see documentary that goes into more detail: 

Sources:

Drcate.com

Chriskesser.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdoSSaKjv7A&feature=emb_err_woyt