Thursday, October 1, 2009

New Cordain Publication: Dietary fat quality and coronary heart disease prevention

Dr. Loren Cordain has published a new article on fats and CHD in Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine. Get a copy here.

Some interesting passages from the saturated fats section of the paper:

The Seven Country Study, a cross-cultural analysis, reported strong
positive associations among a population’s average SFA intake, serum total cholesterol concentrations, and 25-year death rates from CHD [49]. However, it is important to note that several groups with very high SFA intakes from coconut fat (up to 40% of energy) and apparently low CHD rates have since been identified [27,28]. In the Nurses’ Health Study, a large prospective cohort study, a weak but significant positive association between SFA intake and CHD risk was initially seen [41]. With long-term follow-up, this association was no longer significant [40]. Any association between SFAs and CHD appears to be a small fraction of that observed for TFAs [41]. Other observational studies and dietary trials have been unconvincing or even contradictory [50]. In general, experimental evidence does not support a robust link between SFA intake and CHD risk [51]. [Italics added.]


And

Replacement of SFAs, especially palmitate, with MUFAs may provide
moderate cardiometabolic benefi ts, and is unlikely to do harm. However, SFA reduction does not appear to be the most important dietary modification for CHD risk reduction. [Italics added.]


It appears from this paper that Dr. Cordain now acknowledges that a) some non-industrial groups maintain low cardiovascular disease risk while consuming abundant saturated fat from coconuts, and b) we don't have strong evidence against eating SFAs in comparison to the evidence against TFAs (often conflated with saturated fats) and excess omega-6 fats.

I asserted the same in The Garden of Eating and have maintained this position.

1) Don't eat trans fats.
2) Don't eat vegetable oils except coconut, palm, and olive.
3) Eat any natural animal fats in moderation, preferring fats from grass fed animals.

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