The Saturated-Fat/Cholesterol Theory of Heart Disease
The saturated-fat/cholesterol theory was formally introduced to Americans by
Dr. Ancel Keys, a research physiologist from the University of Minnesota. On a
trip to Italy in the 1950s, Dr. Keys learned that heart disease was a very rare
occurrence there. He also noted that many farmers in the region had a favorable
cholesterol profile. He compared the Mediterranean diet to the American diet
and found some striking discrepancies.
The Mediterranean diet included an abundance of vegetables, fruits, and
whole grains. For the most part, the only oils consumed there were coldpressed
extra-virgin olive oil, and the people ate little sugar.
The Mediterranean diet was a balanced diet then, just as it is today. The
American diet was pretty much the direct opposite. By the late 1950s, Americans
were eating more refined carbohydrates, and much of the fats they consumed
were hydrogenated, such as Crisco and margarine. Both refined carbs and trans
fats have a profoundly negative effect on cholesterol. Dr. Keys, who had
previously thought that both saturated and hydrogenated fats were behind the
increase in heart disease, flipflopped in his viewpoints and ultimately focused on
hydrogenated fats and oils as the real culprit.
The edible oil industry quickly responded to this financial threat to its
products by mounting a campaign to promote the belief that the saturated fat in
hydrogenated oils was to blame and switched to a process called partial
hydrogenation, claiming this would eliminate the problem. In truth, partial
hydrogenation does not change the composition of manufactured oils or the
amount of trans fats. It’s just a gimmick.
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