BIG FAT LIES: The truth about fats that heal and fats that make us sick

I was in the process of writing a description on the Coconut Oil we’d recently added to our
collection and in researching it, I came across some conflicting information. This was when I
realized that my knowledge about oils was pretty limited. (And after completing the research,
I’m starting to wonder if making the subject of oils and fats sound so complicated was
intentional as a way of diverting our attention away from the fats we’re consuming...)

I knew that we needed fats in our diet. I’d also been aware that there was some misinformation
out there when it came to saturated fats (including coconut oil and butter) and cholesterol, though
I could not specify exactly what that misinformation was. I had also become somewhat familiar
with the names of the “good” fats, olive oil and particularly Omega 3 and knew that you had to
get a good ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids. As well, I knew that trans fats were bad,
(though I didn’t know just how bad they actually were), but that was pretty much it.

I didn’t really know how all of this fit together or what the differences were between the
different oils etc... So I thought I’d try and get the basics down so I could start to make sense of
all this information.

FATS 101: A PRIMER

The main types of fat we hear about are:
Unsaturated
Saturated
Cholesterol
Hydrogenated
Transfats

QUICK BASICS ABOUT THESE FATS

Unsaturated - 2 kinds: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated, natural, liquid, needed by the body
mainly from plants/vegetables/seeds/nuts and fish,
1) polyunsaturated
Omega 3, EPA, DHA, ALA
Omega 6
2) monounsaturated
Omega 9

Saturated - natural, solid at room temperature, needed by the body, mainly from dairy and meat
and tropical products,

Cholesterol - natural, waxy fatty substance, needed by the body and created by the body, but also
found in some foods like dairy and meat

Hydrogenated - not natural, solid at room temperature, NOT needed by the body 3 different
kinds, created by injecting hydrogen into liquid oils to make them solid at room temperature,
mainly done with vegetable oils, but at times also created with tropical oils
 1- partially hydrogenated
2- fully hydrogenated
3- interesterified

Transfats - not natural, solid at room temperature, NOT needed by the body, it is a substance that
is created during the partial hydrogenation process

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THESE FATS

UNSATURATED: natural, needed by the body, liquid at room temperature - 2 main types:
polyunsaturated and monounsaturated
1) polyunsaturated: found mainly in seeds/plants, and fish - there are 2 types of polyunsaturated
fats: Omega 3 and Omega 6
a) Omega 3 is essential to the body but is not made by the body - there are 3 types
i) EPA (fish, seaweed)
ii) DHA (fish, seaweed)
iii) ALA (chia seeds ...)
b) Omega 6 is essential to the body but is not made by the body - in nuts, seeds,
vegetables, soy, corn

2) monounsaturated: found mainly in olives, sesame seeds, macadamia nuts and peanuts - liquid
at room temperature but starts to solidify when chilled - there is only 1 type of monounsaturated
oil, Omega 9
a) Omega 9 is essential to the body but is made by the body as well as available in foods.

Polyunsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. This makes them highly vulnerable to
oxidation or rancidity, particularly when subjected to high heats and light. Monounsaturated
fats such as olive oil, however are thicker compared to polyunsaturated fats and therefore are
better able to withstand more exposure to oxidation from heat and light without becoming rancid
ie. Notice if you refrigerate salad dressing made with olive oil, it will start to solidify.

Polyunsaturated fats include both Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids. While both perform
functions that are vital to the human body, Omega 3 tends to focus on anti-inflammatory
functions and Omega 6 focuses on inflammatory functions. This is why the intake of Omega 3
and Omega 6 fatty acids should be in a fairly even 1:1 ratio, although some have recommended a
ratio as high as 4:1 in favor of Omega 6. The problem however, is that the current average ratio,
has been found to be anywhere from 10:1 to 30:1 in favor of Omega 6 fatty acids and even
higher causing an imbalance and therefore too much inflammation.

Polyunsaturated fats, which come mainly from vegetable sources that contain high levels of
Omega 6 ie. canola and corn oil, are the ones that have been promoted in mainstream media as
being the “healthy” fats. Coincidentally, these happen to be some of the cheapest oils available
and are the main oils used by food manufacturers. While it is true that Omega 6 fatty acids
perform vital functions, they must be in the correct ratio and can only perform these vital
functions if they are not rancid or have not been hydrogenated.

Both types of polyunsaturated oils, Omega 3 and Omega 6 become dangerous to the body when
they are rancid.

SATURATED: natural, solid at room temperature and are found in meat and dairy ie. butter, as
well as tropical products like palm and coconut ie. coconut oil. Saturated fats are required by the
body for various functions (5):
- they enhance the immune system
- are necessary for healthy bones
- provide energy and structural integrity to the cells
- protect the liver
- enhance the body's use of essential fatty acids
- have cholesterol lowering properties
- are a preferred food for the heart.

Despite these facts and despite study after study showing the opposite, saturated fats have been
maligned for some time in mainstream media and conventional medicine as being the cause of
elevated cholesterol and therefore ultimately of heart disease.

Saturated fats are stable, and as such, are not vulnerable to oxidation and can withstand fairly
high heats without their structure being affected. Saturated fats therefore, do not have to call on
the body's reserves of antioxidants, they do not initiate cancer, and they do not irritate the artery
walls. These are the best fats to cook with.

CHOLESTEROL: natural, is a waxy fat substance made by the liver, but is also found in some
foods, mainly meat and dairy. Cholesterol is required by the body for various vital and essential
functions. We hear of 2 main kinds of cholesterol, LDL and HDL. LDL and HDL however are
in fact, proteins that bind to the cholesterol and help move cholesterol around the body through
the blood stream. Otherwise, the cholesterol would not be able to move by itself.

a) HDL said to be the Good Cholesterol - transports left over cholesterol back to the liver
where it can be recycled or eliminated
b) LDL said to be the Bad Cholesterol - transports cholesterol from the liver to various
tissues in the body where it is needed

Cholesterol Benefits (5) (10):

- is a precursor to vital hormones that help us deal with stress and protect the body against heart
disease and cancer;
- is a precursor to sex hormones like androgen, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone
- is a precursor to vitamin D which is vital for healthy bones and nervous system, proper growth
mineral metabolism, muscle tone, insulin production, reproduction and immune system function
- is the precursor to bile salts, which are vital for digestion and assimilation of fats in the diet
- acts as an anti-oxidant (based on recent research)
- is the body's repair substance, manufactured in large amounts when the arteries are irritated or
weak
- is needed for proper function of serotonin receptors in the brain. Serotonin is the body's natural
"feel-good" chemical. This explains why low cholesterol levels have been linked to aggressive
and violent behavior, depression and suicidal tendencies
- maintains neurotransmitter and brain function
- builds brain and nerve tissue
- nourishes the immune system
*** Importantly for women, many of our most important hormones, including estrogen and
progesterone, are made from cholesterol.

Along with Saturated Fats, Cholesterol has been vilified in mainstream media and by
conventional medicine as the main indicator of heart disease whereby high levels of cholesterol
are said to be a clear indicator of heart disease. This, despite study after study showing that
cholesterol levels are not indicative of heart disease.

HYDROGENATED: These oils are not natural oils. They are oils that have had hydrogen
added to them at high pressure “using a metal catalyst either aluminum, cobalt, and nickel.
Without the metals, the hydrogen could not be fused into the oils. All are toxic metals to the
body.(6) ” This process makes the oil solid at room temperature resembling saturated fat.
Although polyunsaturated/vegetable oils (liquid oils) tend to be the ones that are hydrogenated,
saturated fats such as palm and coconut oil can also be hydrogenated.

The main reason for hydrogenation is to increase shelf life, a purely profit motivated process. (4)
As we have seen in the section on unsaturated oils, because they are liquid,
polyunsaturated/vegetable oils are unstable and vulnerable to oxidation. In order to be able to
use these cheaper oils, food manufacturers had to come up with a way to increase their shelf life
and hydrogenation was their solution. There are essentially 3 types of hydrogenated oils;
partially hydrogenated oils, fully hydrogenated oils and interesterified oils.

1- partially hydrogenated oils: these are oils, mainly polyunsaturated/vegetable oils that
have had hydrogen added to them, but only to the point where they are still soft enough to be
spreadable. It is this process that creates the trans fats we are hearing so much about because of
their extremely adverse health effects. Partially hydrogenated oils have been found in most
processed foods. The FDA once estimated that approximately 95 percent of prepared cookies,
100 percent of crackers, and 80 percent of frozen breakfast products contained trans fat. (8)

2- fully hydrogenated oils: these are oils that have been completely hydrogenated.
Because of this, they are too hard to be usable in the food manufacturing process. Fully
hydrogenated oils do not contain trans fats and because of this, some make the assumption that
they are healthier but research is finding that this is not the case.
 3 - interesterified oils are the food manufacturing industry’s solution to the studies
showing the negative health effects of trans fats and the eventual labeling requirement of trans
fats that were imposed in 2008. The interesterification process is one where the same
polyunsaturated oils are fully hydrogenated so they become very hard. Liquid polyunsaturated
oils are then added and mixed in until the spreadable consistency is reached. The process to
achieve this consistency is highly industrialize and requires high temperatures. “The resulting
product may be trans-free, but it will still contain chemical residues, hexanes and many
dangerous breakdown products full of free radicals.”(7)

TRANS FATS: A very small amount of trans fats occurs naturally in meat and dairy. “These
trans fats are not harmful and in fact are beneficial. The body can transform natural trans fats
into CLA, a compound that has anti-cancer properties.(7) ” Unlike Europe, the FDA does not
distinguish between these naturally occurring trans fats that have health benefits and the
unnatural trans fats that pose serious health risks.

The large majority of trans fats however are created when oils are partially hydrogenated. The
human body does not require this type of fat, and has no use for it. Trans fats cause many
adverse reactions in the body and unfortunately are found in many processed foods. “ In 2005,
the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) stated "that dietary trans fatty acids are more
deleterious with respect to coronary heart disease than saturated fatty acids.(2) " In addition,
trans fatty acids have been increasingly implicated as contributing to:
-type-two diabetes
-cancer
-heart disease
-auto-immune disease
-tendon and bone degeneration
-problems with fertility and growth

All of these conditions had previously been blamed on saturated fats. There are now mandatory
labeling requirements in North America for any foods containing trans fats, but food
manufacturers are finding ways to work around these requirements. One such way is to reduce
the serving size. Food manufacturers are allowed to claim 0 trans fats as long as the amount of
trans fats per serving is lower than .5 grams. The other response by the food industry is to use
interesterified fats, another oil with questionable health effects.

RECAP
Okay, so from here we know that the human body needs all three types of unsaturated fats:
Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9 fatty acids, but Omega 6 (inflammatory) needs to be in ratio
with Omega 3 (anti-inflammatory). Also for these fats to provide the benefits they are intended
to, they cannot be rancid. Rancid versions of these fats instead cause serious negative effects.
We also know that the human body needs both Saturated fats and Cholesterol. And we know the
human body has no need for the unnatural oils/fats, those being hydrogenated and trans fats and
that these actually cause serious health effects. But unfortunately for us, these are the fats that
are most prevalent in the packaged foods and butter substitutes we buy and consume.

HOW DID WE GET INTO THIS MESS?

A LITTLE HISTORY LESSON
(see below for a synopsis of the time line of relevant developments involving trans fat and heart
disease)

How have we gotten to a place where our food supply has been so completely taken over by such
an insidious substance like trans fats (along with its current successor interesterified fat from
hydrogenated fats) without anyone being none the wiser? It feels like we have all been going
about our lives half asleep coping as best we could with the daily stresses, all the while,
completely oblivious to the fact that we are regularly consuming a substance that is slowly
making us sicker and sicker.

Could the food manufacturers have colluded all this time to keep vital information about the
health effects of hydrogenated and trans fats from getting out into the public? What about the
government’s role in this? What about the American Heart Association’s role? A look into the
food industry’s financial motivation as well as its lobbying efforts is also definitely warranted
here. But in the end, with so little transparency, it is up to each one of us to come to our own
conclusions.

The Turn of the Century

It is estimated that at the turn of the century, heart disease was responsible for about 10% of
deaths in America. By 1950, this had skyrocketed to 30% of all deaths, and most of this 30%
was attributed to myocardial infarction (MI). “MI was almost nonexistent in 1910 and caused no
more than 3,000 deaths per year in 1930. By 1960, there were at least 500,000 MI deaths per
year in the US. What life-style changes had caused this increase?” (5)

The Use of Trans Fats Parallels the Alarming Rise of Heart and Other Diseases
Meanwhile, 1914 was the year where “most of the (consumer oil) companies removed any
remaining animal fats from their oils”(6) . Until this time, people had at least been getting some
essential natural fatty acids from the animal fats that had been included in commercial oils. But
no more. It is said that the lower cost of vegetable oil compared to animal fats was at least one
of the reasons for this switch.

It was also at this time that the process of hydrogenation was introduced to the oil industry. The
first patent for hydrogenation was issued in 1903 and was intended for candle making. A patent
for hydrogenated cottonseed oil was then issued in 1911. In that same year, Procter and Gamble
came out with Crisco Oil, the first hydrogenated shortening.
The hydrogenation process continued to be improved and more patents were issued. It wasn’t
until the 1920's however, that hydrogenated fats became more widely available and therefore
more widely used thanks to a court ruling in a patent lawsuit initiated by Procter and Gamble,
that paved the way for other food manufacturers to start producing hydrogenated fats. The usage
of hydrogenated fats in the way of margarine also increased during WW II thanks to a shortage
of butter. (11)

Disease Rates Continue Rising Sharply

During the late 1930's to 1940's, a dramatic rise was seen in diseases like, heart disease, cancer,
diabetes type 2, which until then had been unknown, as well as the appearance of auto-immune
diseases. This alarmed the medical community who could not find a cause for this rise and
blamed it on genetics, a theory disputed by many researchers.

Through the 1950s, the use of hydrogenated fats by the food manufacturing industry continued to
rise as did, (again coincidentally?) the rise in heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Charts
demonstrating this shocking rise can be seen here. The charts are copyrighted and can not be
copied, but can be viewed at this link along with more detailed information. It is “estimated that
in the period from 1937 to 1972, per capita annual consumption of trans fatty acids increased by
81% (11).

Professor Becomes Convinced Saturated Fat to Blame for Heart Disease

In 1950 Ancel Keys, a professor at the University of Minnesota attended a nutrition conference
in Rome where he became convinced that dietary fat and particularly saturated fat was the cause
of heart disease. He published a report supporting this theory in 1953, but according to critics,
he ignored data that disproved it. (12)

Ancel Keys’ theory evolved into what has since been referred to as the Lipid Hypotheses: that
saturated fats raise cholesterol levels and high cholesterol levels lead to heart disease, therefore
saturated fats lead to heart disease and should be avoided. Instead he promoted a low fat diet as
was practiced by Mediterranean and Japanese populations who, it was found, had low rates of
heart disease. Critics have and still maintain that Keys ignored other data available that
disproved this theory. There have been numerous studies since, that dispute both the claim that
high cholesterol is linked to heart disease as well as to the claim that saturated fats increases
cholesterol levels.

Lipid Theory Gains Momentum

By the 1950's the use of hydrogenated fats was rampant in the food industry. In 1957, margarine
outsold butter. The Lipid Hypothesis gained momentum and was supported again and again,
(including by the American Heart Association) despite studies that showed otherwise.

Back room coercion?

By 1968, the American Heart Association was firmly committed to the Lipid Hypothesis (5) , but
“concerns about hydrogenated vegetable oils were sufficiently great to warrant the inclusion of”
a warning about hydrogenated fats in its 1968 Diet Heart Statement (5). The wording of this
warning was very weak. Even with this very moderate tone, the shortening lobby objected
strongly and convinced the AHA to remove the warning all together.

Other organizations like the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the AMA, the American
Diabetic Association and the National Academy of Science followed suit and began pushing
vegetable oils instead of animal fats. With support from these various health agencies, the
government and the industry, the Lipid Hypothesis became firmly inculcated into the American
psyche; SATURATED FATS were BAD FATS

Edible Oil Industry Continues to Ignore Evidence

The same old pattern continued through the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s where the food industry,
government and health organizations continued to ignore and turn a blind eye to any scientific
findings that opposed the Lipid Hypothesis. PhD Biochemist Mary Enig came on the scene in
the mid ‘70s and has recounted her – let’s say challenging – experiences dealing with food
industry representatives after she published findings that were critical of the Lipid Hypothesis
and its conclusions.

Mary Enig has written about the visits she received from angry industry representatives and their
efforts to discredit her findings as well as their admission of data manipulation. As research
attempts continued, it was made clear to those looking to disprove the Lipid Hypothesis that no
funding would be made available to them. Despite this lack of funding, Mary and her colleagues
at Maryland University pursued their work (though with much hardship), which was now
focused on determining the actual amount of trans fats that Americans were consuming both in
margarines as well as in packaged foods.

One of the things they found puzzling was how anxious industry representatives seemed to be
that the amount of trans fats consumed/person were below a certain amount, all the while
proclaiming that trans fats “were completely harmless and posed no threat to public health”(5).
If trans fats in fact were of no concern, then the amount consumed should not have mattered.
The study by Maryland University researchers found that in fact, Americans were consuming
much higher amounts of trans fats than what the industry claimed.

Throughout the ‘80s, industry representatives continued their “modus operandi (which) was to
pepper the literature with articles that downplayed the dangers of trans fats, to use their influence
to prevent opposing points of view from appearing in print and to follow-up the few alarmist
articles that did squeak through with definitive rebuttals”(5).

In 1991, George Mann, a researcher who had done independent studies of the Masai tribe in
Africa, was fed up with what he called "the greatest scam in the history of medicine" (5) and was
determined to bring this issue to the public. He organized a conference in Washington DC in
November of that year with the goal of exposing the truth about trans fats, saturated fats,
cholesterol and disease. Despite efforts by opponents to prevent the conference from taking
place, it did go ahead but with fewer presenters than originally expected. Unfortunately, some
of scientists invited to speak at the conference had been intimidated by threats of funding cuts.

A Little Spark of Light Thanks to European Researchers...

Since the turn of the century, supporters of the Lipid Hypothesis had managed to keep
contradictory findings from getting any attention in the mainstream media. In 1990 however, a
study by Dutch researchers who found that margarine consumption increased coronary heart
disease risk factors received front page coverage. But it was another 5 years before another
finding that opposed the Lipid Hypothesis would get that kind of coverage. This one, also by
European researchers, found a positive correlation between the consumption of trans fat and
breast cancer rates.

Trans Fat Supporters Scramble

Though it was becoming more and more difficult to deny the health risks of trans fats, the major
players refused to acknowledge the seriousness of the threat and instead straddled the fence and
admitted only to contradictory results with regards to trans fats and also claimed that it was
difficult to determine average consumption levels of trans fats. Their main response was focused
on promoting tub spreads that contained lower levels of trans fats than margarine sticks.

Finally Labeling Becomes Mandatory; We’re Home Free! Or Are We???

With more studies pointing to the health risks of trans fatty acids coming to light, the call for
labeling got louder. Agencies who had formerly promoted the use of trans fats over saturated
fats were now forced to reverse their positions. Take the National Academy of Sciences for
instance, in 1987, it published an overview in the form of a handout booklet containing a
whitewash of the trans problem (5). In 2005 however, this same agency stated "that dietary trans
fatty acids are more deleterious with respect to coronary heart disease than saturated fatty
acids.(13)" The NAS concluded there is no safe level of trans fat consumption. It was these
recommendations, that led the FDA to require labeling of the trans fat content of food beginning
January 1, 2008.

Although it would appear to some that these labeling requirements mean that trans fats are no
longer a problem, this unfortunately, is not the case. First of all, labeling laws state that foods
with less than .5 grams/serving of trans fats can be labeled as trans fat free. Reducing the portion
size rather than eliminating trans fats is one way to accomplish this. For example, in the case of
one brand of potato chips analyzed, (13) 1 service serving size was set at twenty-eight grams,
which is just under 2 tablespoons – Really?? We’re talking about potato chips here! In another
case, 1 serving size for Ritz Crackers was determined to be 1 Ritz cracker. In such cases, it’s
still quite possible to consume high levels of trans fats.

As a whole however, the new labeling regulations meant that the food industry now had to find a
replacement for trans fats. The obvious solution would have been to turn to natural saturated
fats, but to do this would have meant admitting they were wrong to have demonized saturated
fats all these years, not to mention the financial impact this would have on the seed oil industry,
which by now had become a powerful force in America’s commodity agriculture system. (7)

A Danger Still Lurks

Liquid vegetable oils may be trans fat free but they also burn at too low a temperature and are
too unstable to be used for frying (7). As well, they are not solid enough to use as a shortening
in baked goods and so were not considered a good replacement option for all of the food
industry’s needs.

To date the solution the food industry has chosen has been to turn to interesterified fats.
Interesterified fats are liquid vegetable/polyunsaturated oils that have been fully hydrogenated
and then mixed with liquid vegetable/polyunsaturated oils in order to create a spreadable
consistency. Remember that it is the process of partially hydrogenating fats that creates trans
fats and not the full hydrogenation process.

The full hydrogenation process, however creates a very hard oil, too hard for use in the food
industry. To rectify this, the fully hydrogenated hard oil is mixed with liquid
vegetable/polyunsaturated oil. The outlook for this oil does not look very promising in terms of
its health effects as a 2007 study published in the January 15, 2007 issue of Nutrition
Metabolism found that interesterified fats and trans fats had similar, negative effects. (16) Both
were found to increase “bad” LDL cholesterol and lower the “good” HDL cholesterol. As well,
interesterified fat was found to raise blood sugar levels. As well, the problem the industry and
health officials are not taking into account is that the mixing process requires high heat to be
applied to the oil and this causes the vegetable fats to go rancid. Based on numerous studies,
rancid/oxidized oils are a source of cancer causing free radicals.

Rancid Fats: The New Danger

Rancid fats are fats that have been oxidized and therefore form free radicals. The harder the fat
is, the more resistant it is to oxidation/rancidity therefore it is the liquid
polyunsaturated/vegetable oils that are most at risk. Oxidation/rancidity creates free radicals that
move through the body causing havoc, this is why we’ve heard so much about the importance of
consuming anti-oxidants

I’m not sure why no attention has been given to this issue, but the health risks are enormous.
Rancid fats “have been characterized as "marauders" in the body for they attack cell membranes
and red blood cells...” The damage caused by rancid fats include:
- damage in DNA/RNA strands, thus triggering mutations in tissue, blood vessels and skin
- free radical damage; to the skin leading to wrinkles and premature aging
- free radical damage to the tissues and organs setting the stage for tumors
- free radical damage in the blood vessels which initiates the buildup of plaque
- studies have repeatedly shown a high correlation between cancer and heart disease with the
consumption of polyunsaturates/vegetable oils
- new evidence links exposure to free radicals with autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and
with Parkinson's disease, Lou Gehrig's disease, Alzheimer's and cataracts (14)

Canola Oil - Here We Go Again!

Once the findings against trans fats became too numerous that they could no longer be kept from
the mainstream, the food industry had to look for replacements that would not impact their cost
structure. The replacements they chose were: unatural interesterified fats for baking needs and
monounsaturated fats, especially olive oil that had a centuries old history, for all other uses. The
problem was that olive oil was in too short supply for their needs and too expensive to use in
processed foods so the industry turned to canola oil.

Canola oil is a genetically manipulated version of rapeseed oil intended to breed out the toxic
erucic acid that is found in rapeseed oil (rapeseed is a plant in the cabbage family) . Canola oil
contains 2% instead of 4% erucic acid and high amounts of Omega 3 oil. But because of the
processing methods used, this oil becomes rancid. A process is then needed to remove the rancid
smell. And it is this process that causes the Omega 3 oils to turn into trans fats. Levels of trans
fats in the final product can be as high as 40%. So not only does this oil contain known toxins, it
also has trans fats and in many cases has been genetically modified to resist Monsanto’s
herbicide Roundup.

Canola oil was given GRAS (Generally Accepted as Safe) status despite the fact that no long
studies were done on humans. Studies done on animals are not reassuring and clearly challenge
the health claims made about canola oil.

So it appears that after all the damage caused by food manufacturers over decades, they haven’t
learned anything at all. Their profit at any cost way of operating have NEEDLESSLY left us
with a food supply riddled with these harmful fats ready to lead us down a road of pain and
suffering... The only way to avoid negative health effects of these less than optimal ingredients
is to avoid processed foods all together.

What Oils Should I Use?

The first thing to protect yourself and your family would be to avoid all processed foods unless
you are certain that they contain no trans fats, no hydrogenated (or interesterified) fats and no
rancid oils. Note: hydrogenated fats are also now called monodiglycerides. Choosing organic
processed foods may be an option but here too, consumers need to be aware and check labels
carefully as the big food manufacturers are getting a foothold in the organics industry and
bringing their profits first motivation with them.

Based on the studies, the best fats to consume seem to be unrefined saturated fats for cooking
and the best option here would be raw, organic and unrefined coconut oil, but unrefined palm oil,
lard, butter (organic and unpasturized is best) would also do. And for other uses like salad
dressings, unrefined monounsaturated oils and the best option here would be ice pressed olive
oil, but cold pressed would also do as well as unrefined avocado oil, macadamia nut oil...
Experts also advise to ensure a good supply of quality Omega 3 fatty acids and Omega 6 fatty
acids that are not rancid and are in appropriate ratios.

Summation
To sum up, this path began in the early 1900s with the food industry’s desire to switch from
animal fats to the lower cost vegetable oils. Hydrogenation allowed them to replace saturated
fats like butter and animal fats. Thanks to what later turned out to be a few erroneous findings,
they were also able to convince mainstream media and conventional medicine to accept that
saturated fats were bad and caused heart disease (which had risen sharply shortly after
hydrogenated oils were introduced). Saturated fats were demonized and vegetable fats were
hailed as the healthy savior.

We have been consuming these fats for years and years and decade upon decade ... affecting our
health for generations while these food manufacturers have been increasing their profits. Now
we are faced with a food supply completely saturated (pun intended) with unhealthy fats and a
mainstream media and conventional medical community, that for the most part, continues to
vilify saturated fats in favor of vegetable/polyunsaturated oils, the majority of which are rancid.
This, as we also face never before seen rates of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity.

If we want to avoid these fats and all of the negative health consequences that come with them,
our only choice is to opt out of the conventional food supply. Though not an easy thing to do,
and yes, more costly and inconvenient, it is doable and can be done in a way that doesn’t
deprive us of flavorful, delicious and yes NUTRITIOUS foods. Otherwise, the only other choice
we have is to silently continue settling for and consuming these toxin creating, sub-par, imitation
foods provided to us by the food industry and accept the health consequences they present down
the road. THIS IS THE CHOICE THE FOOD INDUSTRY’S GREED HAS FORCED ON US
... all for the sake of profits and power...

IGNORANCE + GREED = DEADLY COMBINATION

and this is only 1 of the number of ways our food supply is flawed corrupt

TIME LINE OF BETRAYAL : a synopsis of relevant events from the Turn of the Century

turn of the century - heart disease was responsible for about 10% of deaths in America

1903 - first patent for hydrogenation was issued for use in candlemaking

1910 - Myocardial infarction almost nonexistent

1911 - patent for hydrogenated cottonseed oil was issued

1911 - Procter and Gamble comes out with Crisco Oil, the first hydrogenated shortening
1914 - most of the (consumer oil) companies remove any remaining animal fats from their oils

1920's - court ruling opens up the hydrogenation process to other companies

1930 - Myocardial infarction causes no more than 3,000 deaths/year

WWII - butter shortage leads to increased use of hydrogenated margarines

1937 - biochemists show dietary cholesterol has little effect on blood cholesterol levels
IGNORED
1938 - Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act signed into law partly in response to consumer concerns
about imitation products (see 1973)

1930's to 1940's - dramatic rise in heart disease, cancers, type 2 diabetes and appearance of
autoimmune diseases

By 1950 - heart disease skyrockets to 30% of all deaths (most of this 30% was attributed to
myocardial infarction (MI).

1950 - medical scientist finds total cholesterol a poor predictor of heart disease IGNORED

1950's - use of hydrogenated margarines continues and use of hydrogenated fats in processed
foods takes off

1953 - Ancel Keys publishes report linking dietary fat to heart disease - critics find fault with the
findings

1955 - report finds carbohydrates raise cholesterol, which increases the risk of heart disease
IGNORED

1956 - American Heart Association hosts a telethon televised on all major networks urging
Americans to reduce saturated fat and cholesterol and to consume margarine

1956 - researcher John Gofman blames carbohydrates for heart disease IGNORED

1957 - margarine outsells butter for the first time

By 1960 - there were at least 500,000 MI deaths per year in the US.

1961 - AHA officially adopts Ancel Keys’ Low Fat Diet

1961 - Framingham study finds no link between high cholesterol and heart disease for men over
50 IGNORED

1961 - university researchers find low fat/high carb diets increased the risk of heart disease
IGNORED

1964 - De Bakey, the famous heart surgeon, coauthored a 1964 study involving 1700 patients
that showed no definite correlation between serum cholesterol levels and the nature and extent
of coronary artery disease IGNORED

1966 - university professor and AHA board member promotes the use of vegetable oil in his self
help book funded by Mazola Corn Oil
1966 - results of Dr. Jolliffe's Anti-Coronary Club experiment were published in JAMA (Journal
of the American Medical Association): 8 deaths from heart disease in low fat group IGNORED

1968 - International Atherosclerosis Project, in which over 22,000 corpses in 14 nations were cut
open and examined for plaques in the arteries, disproves lipid hypothesis IGNORED

Early 1970's - Dr. Fred Kummerow had shown that trans fatty acids caused increased rates of
heart disease in pigs. A private endowment allowed him to continue his research—government
funding agencies such as National Institutes of Health refused to give him further grants.
IGNORED

1970 - American Heart Association anti-fat guidelines extended to children and pregnant women
- food assistance to women (including pregnant) and children allows for ONLY non-fat or skim
milk

1970 - a number of researchers confirm the theory that carbohydrates increase cholesterol
IGNORED

1972 - Robert Atkins publishes his high fat diet

1973 - AMA attacks Robert Atkins calling his high fat diet a dangerous fraud

1973 - New wording introduced to Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to redefine requirements for
foods to be labeled as “imitation” products which ended up lessening any negative association
with trans fats.

1974 - Framingham study finds a strong association between low cholesterol and premature
deaths and no relationship between high cholesterol and sudden death IGNORED

1976 - FDA gives GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) status to hydrogenated soybean oil

1976 - lipid biochemist warns government that trans fats increases the risk of diabetes
IGNORED

1976 - Nathan Pritikin opens low-fat Longevity Center

1976 - Senator George McGovern attends Pritikin’s Longevity Center convinced that fat made us
fat and is responsible for killer diseases like cancer and heart disease

1976 - McGovern’s committee begins hearings on Diet and Killer Diseases with a strong bias
against fats

1977 - McGovern’s committee issues final dietary guidelines that stated categorically that "the
over consumption of fat, generally, and saturated fat in particular. . . have been related to six of
the ten leading causes of death
1977 - Mary Enig, PhD biochemist analyzed USDA data used by McGovern committee and
found vegetable oils seemed to predispose to cancer, especially trans fats and that animal fats
seemed to protect against cancer and noted the committee had inappropriately manipulated the
data IGNORED

1978 - Mary Enig’s findings about McGovern committee’s conclusions are published in
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

1978 - edible oil industry in an uproar that Mary Enig’s findings were published

1978 - High Fructose Corn Syrup enters the sweetener market

1979 - angry rep of National Association of Margarine Manufacturers visits Mary Enig and
explains that his organization and the Institute for Shortening and Edible Oils had kept a
watchful eye to prevent findings against trans fats from being published and admitted margarine
lobby had sabotaged USDA data

1979 - reps pay a second visit to Mary Enig a few weeks later waving a stack newspaper articles
that had reported on her article and admitted their attempt to coerce the FASEB into letting them
print letters to refute Enig’s paper while not allowing her to respond as was normally the case for
scientific journals

1980 - Obesity levels rise after remaining stable at 12 - 14% since 1960

1980 - USDA releases first ever official low fat Dietary Guidelines for Americans highlighting
fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol making the UNPROVEN hypothesis that dietary fat is the cause
of heart disease a cornerstone of US nutrition policies and education

1982 - 2 years after government’s low fat guidelines are issued, a major study by the National
Institute of Health fails to prove that low fat diets were safe or effective IGNORED

1984 - another study by the National Institute of Health fails to prove low fat hypothesis until
statistics are manipulated. These final results were questioned by a number of reputable
scientists but these questions were IGNORED

1984 - Mary Enig publishes her doctoral dissertation, indicating that trans fats interfered with
enzyme systems that neutralized carcinogens and increased enzymes that potentiated carcinogens
IGNORED

By 1985 - 50% of the sweetener consumed by Americans was HFCS

1985 - Nathan Pritikin commits suicide after his low fat diet failed to protect him from leukemia.

1985 - Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) hears testimony on
the trans fat issue, Mary Enig represents the alarmist view while magarine and oil industry reps
assure panel that trans fats pose no danger. Enig’s testimony is IGNORED and omitted from
final report

1986 - oil industry reps publish an article exonerating trans fats as a cause of atherosclerosis in
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

1986 - NIH, AHA, cereal companies, vegetable oil interests and the AMA join in the WAR on
CHOLESTEROL

1986 - FDA says no conclusive evidence that sugar causes chronic disease

1986 - Japanese warn that low cholesterol strongly associated with strokes IGNORED

1987 - Framingham study finds participants whose cholesterol levels declined over the first 14
years were more likely to die prematurely of heart disease and cancer than those whose
cholesterol remained the same or increased. IGNORED

1987 - first cholesterol lowering drug approved in record time

1988 - Mary Enig testified again before the Expert Panel on the National Nutrition Monitoring
System that the 1985 FASEB report exonerating trans fatty acids as safe was based on flawed
data IGNORED

1988 - oil industry reps work behind the scenes to discredit Mary Enig’s testimony

1988 - Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health is released: "Highest priority is given
to reducing fat intake."

1988 - Dr Raven announces his discovery - heart disease is excess sugar and excess easily-
digested carbohydrates - not red meat IGNORED

1989 - National Nutrition Monitoring System releases its report but Mary Enig’s testimony is left
out and IGNORED

1990 - CDC announces type II diabetes took off like a "runaway train" around 1990.
1990 - obesity levels rise dramatically

1990 - Dutch researchers Mensink and Katan found that margarine consumption increased
coronary heart disease risk factors IGNORED

1991 - Mary Enig’s paper on trans fatty acids in the US diet was published in the Journal of the
American College of Nutrition despite attempts by edible oil industry insiders’ attempts to
prevent this IGNORED

1991 - professor Fred Kummerow organizes conference in Washington DC to make public that
the Lipid Hypothesis was the greatest scam in the history of medicine, despite attempts to
prevent this meeting with some attendees being told that participating would jeopardize future
funding IGNORED

1992 - findings by Epidemiologist Walter Willett at Harvard of a correlation of trans fat

consumption and cancer is reported at Baltimore Data Bank Conference IGNORED

1993 - Willett's research group at Harvard study finds that trans fat contributed to heart disease -
finally this research was not ignored but industry continues to argue that American trans
consumption is too low to contribute to the epidemic of chronic diseases

1994 - study appearing in the Lancet showed that almost three quarters of the fat in artery clogs
is unsaturated. The "artery clogging" fats are not animal fats but vegetable oils IGNORED

1995 - study by European researchers links trans fat consumption to breast cancer rates
IGNORED

1998 - a symposium "Evolution of Ideas about the Nutritional Value of Dietary Fat" reviewed
the many flaws in the Lipid Hypothesis and highlighted a study in which mice fed purified diets
died within 20 days but whole milk kept the mice alive for several months IGNORED

1999 - Harvard Nurses Study leader says the less fat the nurses ate the greater their risk of
cancer. “Saturated fat seems to be protective…” IGNORED

2000 - Soybean oil has 70 percent of the edible fat market in the U.S. Nutritious lard
consumption: Less than 1 pound per capita

2000 - Sugar consumption in the U.S.: 150 pounds per capita

2000 - Butter consumption in the U.S.: less than 4 pounds per capita

2005 - Butter is making a comeback! For the first time since 1957, butter outsells imitation butter
margarine.

2005 - Dietary Guidelines finally and weakly cautioned Americans to "limit trans fatty acids" by
lumping them together with saturated fat into a dumb new meaningless category called "Bad
Fat."
2008 - Corn Growers Association spends $20 to $30 million on TV ad campaign reassuring
mothers that HFCS is perfectly okay for toddlers and children

2008 - Trans fat labeling requirement goes into effect - but only trans fats over .5 grams per
serving have to be labeled

Sources
1. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/01/enjoy-saturated-fats-theyre-good-
for-you.aspx

2. http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/trans-fats-in-the-food-supply

3. http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400149/balancing-omega-3-and-omega-6.html

4. http://www.dldewey.com/hydroil.htm

5. http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/the-oiling-of-america

6. http://www.dldewey.com/hydroil.htm

7. http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/interesterification

8. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/nutrition-news/transfats/

9. http://www.totalhealthdynamics.com/fatsmart.htm

10. http://www.womentowomen.com/healthyweight/fatandcholesterol.aspx

11. http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/01/more-on-hydrogenated-fat.html

12. http://www.dietheartpublishing.com/diet-heart-timeline

13. http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/trans-fats-in-the-food-supply

14. http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/the-great-con-ola

15. http://www.westonaprice.org/know-your-fats/skinny-on-fats

16. http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400714/Is-Interesterified-Oil-a-Bad-Fat.html

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Trans-Fat-History.aspx

CHART OF TRANSFAT CONSUMPTION

http://www.topicalinfo.org/Skincancer.htm

timeline of heart disease

ttp://www.dietheartpublishing.com/diet-heart-timeline

*** http://www.dldewey.com/hydroil.htm

canola oil
http://www.rmhiherbal.org/review/2000-4.html
Olive oil has mostly omega 9 but also omega 3 and omega 6 10% omega 6 and 1% omega 3 so
10:1 ratio
Avocado oil omega 3 and 6 about 10:1 ratio
Quinoa - omega 3 and 6 about 10:1 ratio for omega 6
***Chia seeds 61% omega 3 20% omega 6 therefore 3:1 ratio for omega 3
Hemp seeds - omega 6 and omega 3 - 3:1 ratio for omega 6
Coconut oil = 57 to 60^% MCFA (med chain fatty acids), 86% saturated fat, no cholesterol or
transfats - saturated fats mean no place for oxygen to attach so does not get oxidized, 6%
monounsaturated, 2% polyunsaturated, has phytosteros, has omega 6 - 4%,
Omega 9 produced by the body but also in food