Red meat and saturated fat

[Kuytrider]

Apparently, the RDA for saturated fat is 20 grams. Now, this is of course based on the 'Joe Average' figure which says you should only eat 70 grams of fat (I think) and 2,500 calories. None of this takes into account a person's size, level of activity etc.

Red meat and cheese seem to have a lot of saturated fat. I love red meat and cheese but should I be wary of the saturated fat they contain? I train heavy 4 times a week and am hoping to throw in the odd cardio session too.

(I was one of those who wouldn't eat whole eggs until I got some advice on here and did a little research myself on the whole cholesterol thing.)

[BendtheBar]

The RDA is skewed towards carb intake because of fat fear, cholesterol fear, etc.

Saturated fat isn't anything to worry about. Here is a link that can help explain a little:

The Cholesterol and Saturated Fat Myth Dr. Gray’s Straight Talk

There have been about 30 long-term population studies that have attempted to link saturated fat to heart disease. Of those, only four have shown even the weakest association. And all four had major disqualifications: they were either too small to be significant, they did not isolate the variables properly, or they showed a slight decrease in heart deaths but an increase in death due to cancer.

But population studies are notoriously unreliable anyway. The gold standard among health studies are controlled, randomized trials. And not a single study of this nature has ever shown definitive evidence that saturated-fat consumption leads to heart disease. In fact, many have shown the exact opposite!

Authors of the MR-FIT trial were determined to prove the case. They enrolled 350,000 men, all of whom were considered at high risk of heart disease. In one set of participants, cholesterol consumption was reduced by 42%, saturated fat by 28%, and total calories by 21%.

What happened? Nothing. The authors referred to the results as “disappointing,” stating that “The overall results do not show a beneficial effect on Coronary Heart Disease or total mortality from this multifactor intervention.”

The Women’s Health Initiative was a huge government study, costing almost three quarters of a billion dollars. Among 20,000 women in the study who adhered to a diet low saturated fat diet for eight years, there was no reduction in the rates of heart-disease or stroke.

Then there was the Cochrane Collaboration, in 2000. This group rigorously selected 27 low-fat and cholesterol-lowering trials to review (more than 200 trials were rejected). Their conclusion was that diets low in saturated fat have “no significant effect” on heart attack mortality. Lead researcher Lee Hooper, PhD, said “I was disappointed that we didn’t find something more definitive.”

Or how about something more recent?

This month, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a review of 21 studies. The studies ranged from 5 to 23 years in length and encompassed 347,747 subjects. In the authors’ own words: “Intake of saturated fat was not associated with an increased risk of CHD [coronary heart disease], stroke, or CVD [cerebrovascular disease].”

In 1988, U.S. Surgeon General’s office decided to end the confusion. They set out to finally prove the causal link between saturated fat and heart disease. After 11 years, the project was abandoned. The Surgeon General’s office stated that they, “did not anticipate fully the magnitude of the additional external expertise and staff resources that would be needed.” Sure! After more than a decade of trying, the government just “just didn’t have the resources.”

Scientists and researchers are supposed to have an open mind. They are not supposed to be dogmatic and swayed by politics and peer pressure. But that is exactly what the majority of scientists and doctors have proven of themselves. It is not terribly surprising. Massive industries and shining scientific careers have been built on this faulty theory.

If it were not so tragic, it would be funny to listen to them explain away contradictory findings and make excuses for why their studies don’t match their hoped-for conclusions. The most common excuses are that the “trial didn’t last long enough” or they “didn’t lower the saturated-fat intake enough.” It seems that option number three never crosses their mind… perhaps the entire hypothesis is wrong!

Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD has called the saturated fat theory of heart disease “one of the greatest and most harmful misconceptions in the history of medicine.” Dr. George Mann called it the “public health diversion of the century.”

And the problem is not just the wasted time and billions of dollars dedicated to an unscientific myth. The bigger problem is that undue focus on the saturated fat bugaboo has stolen attention from the REAL causes of heart disease. And perhaps even worse, is that many of the dietary recommendations to reduce heart disease have actually been shown to CAUSE heart disease (not to mention cancer, diabetes and obesity).

If you truly want to protect yourself from the nation’s number one killer, don’t smoke and reduce your stress levels. At least the medical authorities have gotten those two right. And when it comes to your diet, forget about saturated fat and cholesterol. Here is what you should do instead:

• Consume more monounsaturated fats from sources like olive oil, nuts, avocados and avocado oil

• Cut out the sugar and refined carbohydrates

• Consume more omega-3 fatty acids, from wild game, grass-fed beef and bison, sardines and wild (not farm-raised) salmon. And take an omega-3 fish oil supplement.

• And reduce as much as possible omega-6 fatty acids in your diet. These come primarily from conventionally raised meats, processed foods, fried foods and vegetable and seed oils (corn, soybean, sunflower, cottonseed, etc.)

Big Fat Lies - YouTube

Big Fat Lies - YouTube

[Fazc]

I highly recommend this book:

Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats: Amazon.co.uk: Sally Fallon: Books

Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats: Amazon.co.uk: Sally Fallon: Books

As well as the research by Sally Fallon when considering common dietary truths. She has done some fantastic work in the area which challenges common beliefs passed down from decades ago which have since been disproven.

Also for the cooks out there, the book has some fantastic recipes too.

[Kuytrider]

How did I know that you two would be the first to reply? Thanks again as ever. Interested read Steve. Amazing how desperate they were for a result and they couldn't get it. Surprised they haven't tried to make something up.

That book is now on my 'list' Fazc. Might even order it within the next few minutes

Edit: Ordered

[Shadowschmadow]

Brief Alan Aragon quote:

Saturated fats are a natural part of the whole-food supply, as well as out of our own mother’s milk. There’s nothing inherently unhealthy about consuming them in moderation. In fact, a scarcity of saturated fats in the diet isn’t conducive to maintaining optimal testosterone levels. While it’s true that genetics can dictate an individual’s predisposition to heart disease, saturated fat consumption is a small factor in the big picture. While bashing saturated fat has been the traditional model, this research is based on either poorly controlled or completely uncontrolled research. There is no compelling body of causal evidence that saturated fat is the bad guy in the game of heart health. According to a scientific review of 50 years of scientific data published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, the body of evidence does not indicate that a diet low in saturated fat prolongs life.

I can find a LOT of reputable and scientifically backed sources that counter the common misunderstandings about saturated fat.

[Soldier]

For the record, I don't limit myself on either saturated fat or cholesterol. If the myths are right I'm going to be screwed.

[bruteforce]

At first I thought this was going to be a food log! One thing I will say, most of my diet revolves around red meat, whole eggs, and lots and lots of saturated fat, mostly from healthy animals. My cholesterol numbers are pretty good too. Anecdotal evidence only, but it works for people like me at least.

[TitanCT]

Shit, i use beef for cutting .... Bring me them fats!! They are delicious!

[ONpump17]

Saturated Fat intake is correlated to testosterone levels. (I'm assuming total test levels) That's all I need to know.

[Shadowschmadow]

Originally Posted by ONpump17

Saturated Fat intake is correlated to testosterone levels. (I'm assuming total test levels) That's all I need to know.

You should also know that making little dietary adjustments don't really have any significant impact on testosterone levels. If you really want changes you gotta get on the juice... Not that I'm recommending that; just stating a fact.