Disclaimer:
This article is not intended to provide health or dietary advice. I do not aim to convince you, but rather to empower you with facts.
This article is based on a presentation by Dr. Paul Mason from Sydney, Australia. The presentation video can be found here (credit: Low Carb Down Under)
The summary of this presentation will provide information as to how our current dietary guidelines are not scientifically supported and are harming us.
The purpose of this article is to bring the essence of the presentation, to those of you who have no time to watch videos, or those who prefer to read concise summaries. You can also print this article (click here). This article includes links to relevant studies, articles, and other valuable resources.
it's important to clarify that this summary is a personal initiative and not in partnership with Dr. Paul Mason or Low Carb Down Under. If you're interested in Dr. Mason's work, I encourage you to explore his presentations and research directly for a comprehensive understanding. He is a well-known and respected Specialist in Sports Medicine and Exercise Physician and a Chief Medical Officer of Defeat Diabetes. He has a track record of successfully treating patients through low-carb lifestyles and has achieved dramatic and sustained weight loss and reductions in joint pain.
As always, I am committed to bringing you 'The facts and Nothing But The Facts. So help me.'
To read only the synopsis of this article - click here.
To print the full article - click here.
To print the synopsis of this article - click here.
Otherwise - let's start:
Once upon a time - intelligent people made a big mistake. Big. Huge.
Richard Fineman, a famous physicist once said: "It doesn't make a difference how beautiful your guess is, it doesn't make a difference how smart you are, who made the guess or what his name is - if it disagrees with experiment, it's wrong".
This article is based on a presentation given by Dr. Paul Mason. The article provides a timeline story about how smart people made guesses and published their guesses as a scientific conclusion – even though it did not align with the experiment result.
1913 - Feeding herbivores food That Is Animal-Based Made the Herbivores Sick. Duh.
Nikolai Anikov, a professor of pathology from Russia, fed rabbits (herbivores) a diet NOT suitable for their kind: lard, egg yolks, and cholesterol (dissolved in sunflower oil). Because this was not their species' suitable diet - their cholesterol rose and some arterial lesions appeared, although NOT as they look in human beings. The experiment concluded that saturated fats increase cholesterol which causes atherosclerosis (a buildup of plaque in the inner lining of an artery).
A charismatic scientist named Ancel Keys adopted Nikolai Anichkov's theory and promoted it vigorously.
Keys was known for his dogmatism and ego, traits that helped him silence opposing views and win over the American Heart Association (AHA).
1915 - Cherry-Picking Data.
Ancel Keys published a graph about fat consumption in various countries. However, he conveniently cherry-picked data from only six countries, omitting 16 others that didn't support his theory.
The full data, when considered, showed a WEAK correlation between cholesterol and heart attacks.
1955 - Smoking was not linked to heart disease.
heart disease was causing panic in the 50's, particularly after President Eisenhower's heart attack. Scientists were on a mission to uncover the cause.
At the same time, smoking was on the rise in the USA, even endorsed by health professionals. Heart attacks surged, but no one seemed to link it to the President's chain-smoking (3-4 packs a day).
Instead, scientists blamed dietary saturated fats without solid evidence. They decided that our arteries clog the same way kitchen pipes clog – because of fat.
But here's a twist, a very logical twist to consider: Saturated fats, a staple in human diets for thousands of years, were suddenly blamed for a new modern disease—heart attacks that were almost unheard of before the 1950s.
1958 - Cherry-Picking Data. Again.
Using his influence, Keys joined the American Heart Association (AHA) and launched 'The Seven Country Study.' Again, he cherry-picked and chose 7 countries to make his findings more compelling than the original 6 countries graph. Keys' unscientific method laid the foundation for the Diet-Heart Hypothesis.
1961 - Relying On a Questionnaire Study + Hidden Financial Motive
Keys claimed saturated fats were dangerous, downplaying the role of smoking in heart disease. He also recommended replacing saturated fats (animal-based) with polyunsaturated fats (seed/vegetable oils). The AHA, which was heavily sponsored by Proctor and Gamble (which sold Crisco vegetable oil), supported Keys' theory.
Ironically, the Seven Countries Study itself indicated that smoking caused cardiovascular disease, but this revelation was hidden until 1980.
The Seven Countries Study, even when including all the countries, was an epidemiological study.
Epidemiological studies (questionnaires) are known to be flawed and are not efficient in proving causality. Causality can only be done using experimental studies, known as Randomised Controlled Trials (RCT).
1968 - Unpublishing A Study Simply Because The Researcher Doesn't Like The Results
To avoid the flaws of the epidemiology study, a large RCT was done between 1968 and 1973. This was The Minnesota Coronary Survey – a randomized trial that aimed to investigate the effects on health when reducing saturated fats. The study checked more than 9000 participants, that were given certain types of diets.
THE RESULTS WEREN'T what Keys had hoped for. They DID NOT SUPPORT the idea that saturated fats were harmful.
The results showed that replacing animal saturated fats with vegetable oils DID NOT REDUCE THE RISK OF HEART DISEASE.
Unsurprisingly, the results of this study were HIDDEN FROM THE PUBLIC until 1989.
On top of hiding the results for more than 16 years, Keys took his name off the published results, although he was a co-principal researcher in this study.
1977 - In Spite of Scientists' Warnings - Politics Win. Again.
The McGovern Committee (A committee of Nutrition and Human Needs that was established by The United States Senate) issued a new set of nutritional guidelines (the McGovern Report), to combat leading killer conditions such as heart disease, certain cancers, stroke, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and arteriosclerosis.
Despite the lack of credible evidence, this committee released a set of nutritional goals that vilified saturated fat. They urged Americans to reduce their saturated fat consumption to no more than 10% of calories and daily cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams.
Experts and even The American Medical Association warned that this proposed diet raised a potential for harmful effects. Unfortunately, these warnings were ignored and politics won.
1980 - An Agriculture Department Decides On A Nutrition & Health Issue. Wait, What?
the 1st publication of the USA dietary guideline was derived from an agricultural point of view, not health and nutrition.
Louise Light was in charge of a team crafting the US dietary guidelines. Her credentials came from her Masters within The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This team incorporated the unsound science from the McGovern Committee together with the USDA's huge problem of grain surpluses (which accrued after the $750 million worth of grains agreement between the USA and The Soviet Union).
Louise Light's team recommended that the public need to eat 3-4 servings of grains. As a result of the huge surplus of grains – this recommendation grew to 5+ servings a day. For the record: one serving is a slice of bread or ½ cup of cooked rice, oatmeal/pasta, or a cup of cereal.
Since then – obesity, cancer, and diabetes has been steadily increasing and is now considered an epidemic, that will greatly increase in the future.
The world followed the USA: Other countries around the world published their own guidelines, while blindly basing it on the US guidelines. Since then - obesity, cancer, and diabetes has been steadily increasing and is now considered an epidemic, that will greatly increase in the future.
Unfortunately, these guidelines are hugely impactful everywhere in the world. They are taught in preschools and schools, they are guides in hospitals and prisons, and the army.
1982 - A Respectful Professor Turns A Blind Eye To Evidence
Prof. Stewart Truswell was the chair of human nutrition at Sydney University. He developed the dietary guidelines for Australians, based on the US 1977 dietary goals. He DIDN'T perform a personal review of the literature. He just repeated the USA dietary goals. if Truswell had reviewed the guidelines, he would have discovered that there were more than 70 randomized controlled trials that showed evidence against reducing saturated fats.
In 1982 his team published the 1st edition of The Australian Dietary Guidelines. The Australia Dietary Guidelines, up until today, discourage the intake of saturated fats.
1989 - Cherry-Picking Data. Again.
The results of The Minnesota Study were finally published BUT - the data provided was limited and very selective (only what supported the initial hypothesis).
The limited selective data prevented a proper analysis, thus the conclusion that was drawn (from this selective cherry-picked data) was that saturated fat did appear to be harmful.
The other co-investigator in the Minnesota Study was Ivan France. He was interviewed by the well-known science journalist Gary Taubes. When Taubes asked him why they delayed the publication of the Minnesota study results, France replied "We were just so disappointed in the way they turned out".
2016 - A Treasure Found In The Basement
Following Garry Taube's investigation, Dr. Chris Ramsden contacted Ivan France's son - Robert (as Ivan France was dead by then). Robert searched through the basement of his father and found 2 magnetic computer tapes, containing almost 60000 records. After analyzing these records, the full results were finally published in 2016 - 38 years after the study was completed!
THE ULTIMATE CONCLUSION OF THE FULL DATA FOUND IN THE BASEMENT: while replacing saturated fats with vegetable oil did indeed lower the cholesterol level - it did so at the cost of increased risk of death. In other words – LOWERING CHOLESTEROL INCREASES THE RISK OF MORTALITY.
2020 - There's a Light At The End of The Fat Tunnel
Recent research by Professor Janet King and Professor Tom Brenner suggests government limits on saturated fats aren't scientifically justified:
No beneficial effects of reducing saturated fatty acid (SFA) intake on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and total mortality. Instead, it found protective effects against stroke.
Whole-fat dairy, unprocessed meat, and dark chocolate are SFA-rich foods that are not associated with an increased risk of CVD.
"The totality of available evidence does not support further limiting the intake of such foods.”
My Final Thoughts
You don't have to be a lawyer to see it's evident that unscientific decisions of the past have shaped our unhealthy state in the present.
I prefer to lead my life with facts.
That's why I no longer follow the 'generic' advice of doctors, family, or friends who suggest that I should stop eating so much fatty meat (and eggs and butter). I follow the advice of doctors and experts who bring robust evidence, as to how I, a human being, should eat - in order to be healthy.
I do, however, print these facts and give them to others so they can read them, and perhaps change their belief into facts, and start their journey of health.
I understand that changing long-held beliefs about food and health can be challenging. After reading this, you have a choice: continue your life with non-factual unscientific beliefs or change your life for the better with 'facts and nothing but the facts'.
Will you continue down the old path, or embrace a new, evidence-based approach to nutrition that leads to a healthier, happier life? Would you share this article or even print it and give it to your doctor or loved ones?
I would love to hear your answer. Please share your thoughts in the comments below. I promise to answer.
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