Eating Animal Fat

[Disciple X]

Is it good or bad?

Curiousity on the topic had me searching ( after enjoying a huge meal of bacon and eggs)

I just watched this video http://www.therealfoodchannel.com/page/18.html

Dude is obviously pro vegetarian, but got my curiousity up on a couple issues...

The video is long, but the general idea was animal fat is horrible and causes clogged arteries, osteoperosis, weight gain, high blood pressure, low calcium, inflamation, colon and prostate cancer, etc. You get the point. He says BAD! (He also says we onlu need 30 or 50g protein per day :-/ )

Definately dont agree with this guy on a lot of issues, but someone shed some light if you have knowledge...

[Rich Knapp]

A good rule of thumb. If its liquid fat at room temp its a good fat. Solid at room temp and eat very little. Some is needed but but don't over do it. The cals from eating a lot of it you would be better off getting from good fats, carbs and proteins.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by Disciple X

but the general idea was animal fat is horrible and causes clogged arteries, osteoperosis, weight gain, high blood pressure, low calcium, inflamation, colon and prostate cancer, etc. You get the point. He says BAD! (He also says we onlu need 30 or 50g protein per day :-/ )

From my reading everything is actually the opposite.

Here is an article that provides a different view.

The Skinny on Fats - Weston A Price Foundation

I do not wish to push my views, only share them. Here is the opening to the article.

Fats from animal and vegetable sources provide a concentrated source of energy in the diet; they also provide the building blocks for cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormonelike substances. Fats as part of a meal slow down absorption so that we can go longer without feeling hungry. In addition, they act as carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Dietary fats are needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A, for mineral absorption and for a host of other processes.

Politically Correct Nutrition is based on the assumption that we should reduce our intake of fats, particularly saturated fats from animal sources. Fats from animal sources also contain cholesterol, presented as the twin villain of the civilized diet.

Check out our Paleo forum section for some more great information, along with the documentary "Fat Head" which is free on You Tube and Netflix.

Here is a non-related video.

Fats And Oils - YouTube

Fats And Oils - YouTube

[BendtheBar]

Nutrition Myth: Saturated Fats Are Bad For You - YouTube

Nutrition Myth: Saturated Fats Are Bad For You - YouTube

[BendtheBar]

A video I recommend from the creator of the Fat Head documentary. Probably a bit off topic.

Science For Smart People - YouTube

Science For Smart People - YouTube

[bruteforce]

The take away from that video is the producer has an agenda and is ill-informed. Fat from healthy animals is very healthy for the human body. Refined carbohydrates are 100 times more likely to cause the issues mentioned above. I don't want to create too many straw men here but the general idea is that humans lived on fat and meat and whatever roots and berries they could find for quite a long time.

Fat is necessary for proper hormone function, brain function, muscle function, pretty much anything that needs to be done in the body. Some argue that we don't need to ingest fat since we can make it, but the same could be said for carbs, which can easily be created in the liver through gluconeogenisis from both fats and proteins. The only thing we need carbs in the blood for (in the form of glucose) is brain function. Everything else can run off ketones from fat.

There's a lot more to be said, but in general, carbs, protein, and fats are not bad in and of themselves. Some are worse than others, and different people respond differently to them. However, fat is not dangerous unless we begin to use the fake oils, just like the refined carbs promote a lot of negative changes.

[Tannhauser]

Originally Posted by Disciple X

Is it good or bad?

Curiousity on the topic had me searching ( after enjoying a huge meal of bacon and eggs)

I just watched this video The effect of animal fats on the human body | The Real Food Channel

Dude is obviously pro vegetarian, but got my curiousity up on a couple issues...

The video is long, but the general idea was animal fat is horrible and causes clogged arteries, osteoperosis, weight gain, high blood pressure, low calcium, inflamation, colon and prostate cancer, etc. You get the point. He says BAD! (He also says we onlu need 30 or 50g protein per day :-/ )

Definately dont agree with this guy on a lot of issues, but someone shed some light if you have knowledge...

The best available current evidence is that reducing the amount of animal fats is likely to reduce incidence of heart disease. It's not easy to investigate, because of the number of other variables that affect incidence of heart disease, for example:

genetic predispositions
smoking and alcohol intake
stress
environmental factors
exercise
other dietary factors

One of the best sources for this sort of thing is the Cochrane Foundation, which summarises only the best quality science in plain language. Here's one of their summary papers (June 2011):

Main results:

This updated review suggested that reducing saturated fat by reducing and/or modifying dietary fat reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by 14% (RR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.96, 24 comparisons, 65,508 participants of whom 7% had a cardiovascular event, I2 50%). Subgrouping suggested that this reduction in cardiovascular events was seen in studies of fat modification (not reduction - which related directly to the degree of effect on serum total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides), of at least two years duration and in studies of men (not of women). There were no clear effects of dietary fat changes on total mortality (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.04, 71,790 participants) or cardiovascular mortality (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.04, 65,978 participants). This did not alter with sub-grouping or sensitivity analysis.

Few studies compared reduced with modified fat diets, so direct comparison was not possible.

Authors' conclusions:

The findings are suggestive of a small but potentially important reduction in cardiovascular risk on modification of dietary fat, but not reduction of total fat, in longer trials. Lifestyle advice to all those at risk of cardiovascular disease and to lower risk population groups, should continue to include permanent reduction of dietary saturated fat and partial replacement by unsaturates. The ideal type of unsaturated fat is unclear.

So, it wouldn't be right to say animal fats are the only factor involved in CHD, but the evidence points to a small but significant role.

Of course, there are other health considerations, but it's maybe best to be specific about each health concern separately.

[BendtheBar]

My research reveals that heart disease has been on the increase due to increased consumption of processed carbs including white sugar and white flour, and the health complications that arise from them.

Here's an article I recommend.

http://www.westonaprice.org/cardiova...-heart-disease

I respectfully disagree with Tann on that point. I do not believe animals fats are to blame, but rather the move from a natural diet to a processed diet that relies heavily on processed carbs, fake foods and oils. Remove them and you'll likely see a far greater improvement in overall health.

More than this, when fat is ingested in the modern diet, a fair share of it is from less than optimal sources and fake foods - corn oil, canola, margarine.

[glwanabe]

I get asked at the grocery why I buy bones. Pets?

NOPE!

I love cooking a stew with plenty of bones to add the marrow into the sauce.
Ate a nice piece of steak while I read, and re watched the vids.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by Tannhauser

The best available current evidence is that reducing the amount of animal fats is likely to reduce incidence of heart disease. It's not easy to investigate, because of the number of other variables that affect incidence of heart disease, for example:

genetic predispositions
smoking and alcohol intake
stress
environmental factors
exercise
other dietary factors


So, it wouldn't be right to say animal fats are the only factor involved in CHD, but the evidence points to a small but significant role.

Of course, there are other health considerations, but it's maybe best to be specific about each health concern separately.

I have to agree with this, there's much more to any medical condition than just diet...prescribed medication and other medical factors can also be underlying causes of CHD; in addition, it's very possible for two people to eat the exact same diet and yet have completely different blood counts and medical issues arise from said diet.

Too many variables for a black and white answer to be available; moderation in all things, seems to be key.