New Study Suggests We Might Have Been Misled About Fat

Fat has been demonized for decades and you hear a lot of fearmongering still today from many people over fat, because for so long we have been told by healthcare professionals that fat directly contributes to a shorter lifespan.

Thanks to the work of Ancel Keys and others, millions of people have been aggressively trying to avoid consuming fat for many years because they fear it will bring about the worst for them. Sometimes, you will find that people are surprised to learn there is fat in many foods that you wouldn't usually expect, like coconuts, olives, or avocados. The fat isn't only to be found in items like cheese, butter, and bacon.

There has been decades of warnings that consuming fat is the worst decision that we could make for our health and that we could only expect negative outcomes if we consume it on a regular basis. And we are told to load up, without worry, on carbohydrates. But is there a chance that we could have been misled? Might we have it all backwards?

According to a recent study...

A diet that contains a high amount of carbohydrates has been associated with a higher risk of mortality, while a high fat consumption diet was seen to be associated with a lowered risk of morality.

The results from the study have been published in The Lancet,

and the study involved over 100,000 participants who self-reported their diets over the span of several years.

An international team of scientists analyzed the diets of the participants, who were between 35 years to 70 years old, and they controlled for things like smoking, sex, age, and physical activity. The participants also came from dozens of different countries; at least 18 different countries.

The participants who ate the highest 20 percent of carbs were seen to have at least a 28 percent increased risk of death, compared to those who ate the lowest 20 percent of carbs. The individuals who consumed the most fat (the highest 20 percent intake of the group) were seen to have a 23 percent reduced risk of death; compared with those who consumed the lowest 20 percent of fat.

They found that fat consumption overall, including polyunsaturated fat, saturated fat, and monounsaturated fat, to be associated with lower mortality.

If it's true that there might not be such a connection between high consumption of fat and increased risk of death, then how could we have been so wrong about it?

Back in the 60's, according to internal sugar industry docs that were uncovered by a researcher at the University of California, the sugar industry had allegedly paid scientists to downplay any health worries that were linked to sugar; while encouraging them to increase the fearmongering for saturated fat.

Their manipulation is alleged to have heavily influenced the industry and played a dominant role in today's dietary recommendations.

Since the decades since then, there has been millions of more dollars that has allegedly been dumped into funding researchers to downplay any worries surrounding sugar consumption.

The debate on whether or not fat and sugar are good still continues today and you'll find a variety of health professionals on either side of the fence. Although, not many on the side promoting fat as a good thing. Health officials are still encouraging Americans to try and avoid consuming fat whenever they can.

Yet, there seems to be a growing trend with consumers these days to try and avoid highly-processed foods that are loaded with carbs and sugar, opting for what they believe to be healthier options for themselves. And we see an increasing number of consumers looking to consume more fat in their diet, despite the still widely held belief that it's the wrong thing to do. The increase in popularity for fat has been attributed to the rise in popular diets like the Paleo, Keto, and Primal diets, which place emphasis on consumption of real foods over highly processed items which contain a lot of additives.

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The information that is posted above is not intended or implied to ever be used as any substitute for professional medical advice, or diagnosis or treatment. The above is posted for informational purposes only.

Sources:
http://www.popsci.com/high-fat-low-carb-heart-health
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)32252-3/fulltext
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/08/well/new-study-favors-fat-over-carbs.html?mcubz=3
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/13/well/eat/how-the-sugar-industry-shifted-blame-to-fat.html?action=click&contentCollection=Well&module=RelatedCoverage&region=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article
http://www.confectionerynews.com/Markets/Sugar-health-scare-fails-to-sweeten-sugar-free-chocolate-candy-sales

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