Before I start I'd just like to say that this fat burning foods article covers a very controversial topic. Not because the science involved is flawed, or because I'm trying to push some new "miracle weight loss technique" on to you.
Fat Burning Foods: Saturated Fat Is It Bad For Our HealthSo what on earth is all the fuss about, you might be thinking. Well I'm going to buck the trend set by the billion-dollar "health foods" industry and mass media. I'm going to poke a little bit further into their so-called health advice.
Just one more thing before we get going: please read this article with an open mind. The supposed facts I'm going to be challenging have been forced into our lives since the 1950's. So for most of us, it's all we've ever known. I know it's going to be hard to stick with me, but please do; it'll be worth it in the end.
Saturated Fats: Flawed Research and Profit Margins
How many scientific studies have proven beyond doubt that saturated fats cause heart disease and make us gain weight? One, ten, one hundred, one thousand? Nope. The fat-hate campaign all comes from one study carried out as far back as the 1950's.
In 1953 a gent named Ancel Keys published a paper called "Atherosclerosis, a Problem in Newer Public Health". Keys' paper claimed a "remarkable relationship" between fat intake and heart disease.
Keys studied the data of 6 countries (from 20+ available), and showed that those with the highest number of deaths from heart disease also ate the most fat, while the opposite was true for those countries that had the fewest number of deaths from heart disease. This became known as the diet-heart hypothesis.
At the time, Jacob Yerushalmy was one of Keys' most stern critics. In 1957 he published a paper showing that the diet-heart hypothesis disappeared if the data from all 22 countries available was considered.
Despite this criticism, the American Heart Association (AHA) and health food companies publicly supported Keys' findings. This support even earned him a Time Magazine cover! In the 1970's Keys went on to produce a "7-countries" study.
Would you believe that this study is the reason we believe animal fats cause heart attacks? Or that total cholesterol is a major factor in heart disease? And get this: Keys' overall conclusion was that saturated fats alone raised cholesterol and caused heart disease.
Again, keys' findings were flawed. 40% of the countries he studied didn't support his conclusion. And there was no mention of refined sugar consumption, exercise, smoking, stress etc. But the mass media loved his latest work, and continue to influence popular beliefs on these flawed facts to this very day.
For years we've have been told to buy cholesterol reducing products and avoid certain foods thanks to Keys' findings. Multi-billion dollar health companies thrive on them. But there is just one problem; STILL nobody has ever proven them to be true.
Do you think that billion-dollars advertising budgets have the power to influence public opinion? Absolutely. And that kind of money is pretty hard to argue with!
So what about the other side of the coin? Are there studies that show the health benefits of saturated fats? Yes there are. And right now more and more people are waking up to the REAL facts, and using them to lose weight and enjoy a healthier lifestyle.
