Blog — fats

Saturated fats are often blamed for high cholesterol and known as being the cardiac killer. Their role in human health is something to be feared. It’s the one big scary word that sends young and old alike into a fit of panic if they are informed by medical staff that their cholesterol is “high”. The instant thought for recovery is margarine and a low fat diet. It has been so deeply ingrained into our culture that we don’t even think twice about it. But science and research are now showing something different, however it may take society, medicine and the...

Written by Damian Kristof The ‘Which Oil When?’ debate can be dated back to the 1960s showdown between butter and margarine. In response to growing concerns about the perceived dangers of animal fats and saturated fats in our diets, the food industry promoted a new range of ‘heart-healthy’ unsaturated fats, coined vegetable oils. These industrial seed oils offered what was believed to be a safer alternative to traditional animal based cooking oils such as butter, tallow and lard, and with that, thousands of people swapped their cooking staples with these new and exciting alternatives. But what actually were these exciting...

   

Written by Dr Mark Hyman “I read somewhere that a high-fat diet can damage your gut bacteria and promote weight gain. Should I be concerned if I’m eating a high-fat diet?” It is true that what you eat can affect your gut bacteria, for better and for worse, and changes in your gut bacteria or microbiome cause weight gain.  Indeed, some studies demonstrate that high-fat diets can adversely affect your gut flora and promote inflammation and weight gain. However, it’s important to note that the type of fat you eat matters!  Most of these studies are focused on diets that...