New study backs the healing power of fat

Did you know my book The Hamptons Diet was originally titled The Healthy Miracle Oil Diet?

That’s how vital I believe dietary fat is to health.

Yet I still meet plenty of people who aren’t convinced that fat is good for you.

In all fairness, I realize the public has been grossly misled by the “fat-free” craze promoted by the so-called “medical authorities” for years. They tried to pin every health crisis known to man on fat. But they couldn’t get any of the claims to stick. Because, as I’ve been saying for years, the simple fact is, we NEED fat.

We need it to make brain cells, keep our joints cushioned, synthesize vitamins, and keep us satiated so we don’t overeat. I learned this critical lesson from the best of the best — Dr. Robert Atkins. And I’ve been a “fat pioneer,” extolling the virtues of fat and exposing sugar as the real culprit behind the today’s healthcare crisis ever since.

Of course, I’m always very careful to stress that not all fats are created equal. Yes, some of them have extraordinary potential not just for promoting health, but actually fighting disease. But others do the exact opposite.

This is where mainstream “fat-phobic” advice has fallen short for years.

But now researchers are finally taking up the battle cry. So let’s see what “news” they’ve come up with now…

A new study from the University of Vermont warns that certain types of dietary fat can lead to changes in our inflammatory response. Which, in turn, plays a key role in the risk of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes and atherosclerosis.

Basically, this study showed that what you eat on a day to day basis—and particularly the type of fat you eat—can trigger inflammation. When you feed your body unhealthy fat it causes you to be in a constant state of inflammation. When this happens, your body tries to adapt to the constant bombardment and changes occur at the cellular (epigenetic) level. And that sets you up for disease.

The study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, says that a diet low in saturated fats and high monounsaturated fats appears to have anti-inflammatory properties. And here’s the best part: The researchers came to this conclusion after comparing this kind of diet to a low-fat one (as well as one that was high in saturated fat).

Finally! I could have told them that 20 years ago.

Which begs the question: What took so long? The evidence has been there for years. The sad thing is, the health of millions and millions of people has been jeopardized by bad advice in the meantime.

So let me repeat: Not all fats are bad. You just have to know which types of fat to eat to keep inflammation at bay.

And research shows that monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) are the healthiest kind of fat you can eat. Not only are they anti-inflammatory, but they also keep your blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides) healthy, help balance your blood sugar, and even help cut visceral fat (that’s belly fat, which research indicates is the most dangerous kind to carry around) by up to 20 percent.

MUFAs are found in olives, olive oil, nuts, and avocados. But my favorite source is macadamia nut oil. It actually contains more MUFAs than the highest quality olive oil.

As for saturated fat, it gets more of a bum rap than it really deserves. This type of fat is found primarily in animal products—butter, cheese, and meat. And plenty of research has emerged in just the last couple of years proving that <a href=”https://drpescatore.com/a-big-fat-myth-busted”>saturated fat isn’t the problem mainstream “experts” have made it out to be.</a>

In fact, the only time saturated fat becomes really dangerous is when it’s combined with sugar and refined flour to produce all those packaged, processed foods you find in the supermarket snack aisle.

As long as you’re getting your saturated fat from organic, grass-fed, minimally processed sources, it’s perfectly ok to eat in moderation.

 

Resources:

http://www.jnutbio.com/article/S0955-2863(15)00178-3/abstract

http://www.foodnavigator.com/Science/Dietary-fat-plays-vital-role-in-inflammatory-response-and-obesity-related-disease-risk


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