Six red flags

A new look at some old research speaks to the point I’ve continued to make about dietary fats over the years. Namely, that saturated fats aren’t the real villains to your heart’s health.

In fact, the conventional advice to substitute them with plant fats could be deadly. Because all unsaturated fats aren’t created equal.

Researchers recently reanalyzed data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study–a trial carried out in the late sixties and early seventies. This study followed 458 men between the ages of 30 and 59 years old, all with a history of heart disease.

Half the subjects were advised to replace the saturated fats in their diet with omega-6 rich safflower oil. And as it turns out, the men who followed this advice suffered a significant higher risk of death during the trial period, when compared with men who made no dietary changes.

These results appeared in the British Medical Journal. And I doubt they come as a surprise to you.

Just last week, I explained how omega-6 fatty acids contribute to inflammation. And as you know, inflammation paves the way to disease… whether it’s heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or anything in between.

Luckily, the solution to this problem is simple. Just tip your body’s scales back in favor of anti-inflammatory omega-3.

Go ahead and eat organic lean meat, cheese, and eggs to your heart’s content. But avoid omega-6-rich oils (such as safflower oil, corn oil, and canola oil) like the plague. And get a hearty dose of high-quality fish oil every single day.

Sources:
“Use of dietary linoleic acid for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and death: evaluation of recovered data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study and updated meta-analysis.” BMJ 2013;346:e8707.