Fats & Protein vs. Carbohydrates (Part 9)

[Guest guest]

THE OILING OF AMERICA (part 9)

Cholesterol is needed for proper function of serotonin receptors in

the brain.61 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.

Mother's milk is especially rich in cholesterol and contains a

special enzyme that helps the baby utilize this nutrient. Babies and

children need cholesterol-rich foods throughout their growing years

to ensure proper development of the brain and nervous system.

Dietary cholesterol plays an important role in maintaining the

health of the intestinal wall,62 which is why low-cholesterol

vegetarian diets can lead to leaky gut syndrome and other intestinal

disorders.

Animal foods containing saturated fat and cholesterol provide vital

nutrients necessary for growth, energy and protection from

degenerative disease. Like sex, animal fats are necessary for

reproduction. Humans are drawn to both by powerful instincts.

Suppression of natural appetites leads to weird nocturnal habits,

fantasies, fetishes, bingeing and splurging.

Animal fats are nutritious, satisfying and they taste

good. " Whatever is the cause of heart disease, " said the

eminent biochemist Gurr in a recent article, " it is not

primarily the consumption of saturated fats. " 63 And yet the high

priests of the lipid hypothesis continue to lay their curse on the

fairest of culinary pleasures—butter and Bernaise, whipped cream,

souffles and omelets, full-bodied cheeses, juicy steaks and pork

sausage.

COMING FULL CIRCLE—AND YET, LEARNING NOTHING

On April 30, 1996 a senior researcher named Kritchevsky

received the American Oil Chemists' Society's Research Award

in recognition of his accomplishments as a " researcher on cancer

and atherosclerosis as well as cholesterol metabolism. " His

accomplishments include co-authorship of more than 370 research

papers, one of which appeared a month later in the American Journal

of Clinical Nutrition.64 " Position paper on trans fatty

acids " Continued the debate on trans fats that began in the same

journal with Hunter and Applewhite's 1986 attack on Enig's

research. " A controversy has arisen about the potential health

hazards of trans unsaturated fatty acids in the American diet, "

wrote Kritchevsky and his coauthors.

Actually the controversy dates back to 1954. In the rabbit studies

that launched Kritchevsky on his career, the researcher actually

found that cholesterol fed with Wesson oil " markedly

accelerated " The development of cholesterol-containing

low-density lipoproteins; and cholesterol fed with shortening gave

cholesterol levels twice as high as cholesterol fed alone.65

Enig's work—and that of Kummerow and Mann and several

others—merely confirmed What Kritchevsky ascertained decades ago

but declined to publicize, that vegetable oils, and particularly

partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, are bad news.

But the " Position paper on trans fatty acids " took no

position at all. Studies have given contradictory results, said the

authors, and the amount of trans in the average American diet is

very difficult to determine. As for labeling, " There is no clear

choice of how to include trans fatty acids on the nutrition label.

The database is insufficient to establish a classification scheme

for these fats. "

There may be problems with trans, says the senior researcher, but

their use " helps to reduce the intake of dietary fats higher in

saturated fatty acids. Also, vegetable fats are not a source of

dietary cholesterol, unlike saturated animal fats. " Kritchevsky

and his coauthors conclude that physicians and nutritionists

should " focus on a further decrease in total fat intake and

especially the intake of saturated fat. . . A reduction in total fat

intake simplifies the problem, because all fats in the diet decrease

and choices are unnecessary. " However, even senior scientists

find that fence straddling is necessary. " We may conclude, "

wrote Kritchevsky and his colleagues, " that consumption of liquid

vegetable oils is preferable to solid fats. "

FOOTNOTE:

Early this year, 1998, a symposium entitled " 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.66 One of the participants was

Kritchevsky who noted that the use of low-fat diets and drugs in

intervention trials, " did not affect overall CHD mortality. "

Ever with a finger in the wind, this influential Founding Father of

the lipid hypothesis concluded thus: " Research continues apace

and, as new findings appear, it may be necessary to reevaluate our

conclusions and preventive medicine policies. "

G. Enig, Ph.D. is an expert of international renown in the

field of lipid biochemistry. She has headed a number of studies on

the content and effects of trans fatty acids in America and Israel,

and has successfully challenged government assertions that dietary

animal fat causes cancer and heart disease. Recent scientific and

media attention on the possible adverse health effects of trans

fatty acids has brought increased attention to her work. She is a

licensed nutritionist, certified by the Certification Board for

Nutrition Specialists, a qualified expert witness, nutrition

consultant to individuals, industry and state and federal

governments, contributing editor to a number of scientific

publications, Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and

President of the land Nutritionists Association. She is the

author of over 60 technical papers and presentations, as well as a

popular lecturer. Dr. Enig is currently working on the exploratory

development of an adjunct therapy for AIDS using complete medium

chain saturated fatty acids from whole foods. She is the mother of

three healthy children brought up on whole foods including butter,

cream, eggs and meat.