Pseudoscience. The meat industry is trying to convince the public of the harmlessness of saturated fat



    The harm of saturated fats (fatty meat, butter, cheese, lard) for the human cardiovascular system is considered to be a generally accepted fact among nutritionists. A lot of scientific papers and studies have been published on this topic. There are recommendations from the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion , a certificate from the Food and Drug Administration of the USA , recommendations from the UK Public Health Service . In the end, there is the World Health Organization newsletterwhere all this is popularly interpreted. Nevertheless, scientific studies are periodically published, the authors of which try to disprove this fact and prove the harmlessness of saturated fats. But the truth floats to the surface when it turns out who sponsors this research.

    Some media outlets again bought into an article by the British cardiologist Aseem Malhotra, which has long been irritating scientists, experts and nutritionists around the world who have been studying the connection of saturated fats and diseases of the cardiovascular system for decades, writes Ars Technica .

    The media published information referring to the "authoritative" specialist Malhotra, who claims that meat and saturated fats are completely harmless. This cardiologist has long promoted the view that diets high in fat do not harm health. Supposedly the epidemic of obesity and other health problems in people entirely caused by the added sugar and other processed foods. In fact, sausage and sausagesWHO introduced in Group 1 products that are carcinogenic to humans - they really contribute to the occurrence of cancers, like all other products from processed meat. At the same time, red meat is still in group 2A of “probably carcinogenic products”. Meat research is not yet complete. But this does not exclude the harm of saturated fats in themselves, which has long been well studied.

    The activities of Asem Malhotra are contrary to the scientific consensus on this topic - and may therefore be attracting media attention. Many publications want to tell the "fried facts" that fatty meat is a harmless product. When such sensational news appears (about the harmlessness of fatty meat, nicotine, or small doses of alcohol), they are immediately picked up by tabloids and "yellow" media. Asem Malhotra says what the masses want to hear.

    The British cardiologist has repeatedly published articles on the safety of fatty meat and saturated fat: here is his column in a scientific journal from 2013, here is another scientific article about how a sudden change in diet and quitting smoking immediately reduces the risks of cardiovascular diseases, regardless of calories.

    Recently, “one of the most influential cardiologists in the UK” even filmed a documentary .

    And now Malhotra issued another editorial article, which will certainly be referred to in support of the view that saturated fats are harmless to health. The editorial was published March 31, 2017 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (doi: 10.1136 / bjsports-2016-097285). Judging by the counter on the site, it has already been replicated by 12 major media outlets, plus 45 mentions on Twitter, that is, the replication process has begun.

    In this opus, Malhotra assures that saturated fats do not clog arteries, and coronary heart disease is a chronic inflammatory condition, the risk of which can be reduced due to a healthy lifestyle. The cardiologist advises to eat "real food" and stick to the Mediterranean diet. Of course, he does not explain what “real food” is.



    Strange, but in the article a cardiologist promotes the Mediterranean diet, because this diet requires minimal consumption of saturated fat .

    The report is presented by the National Anti-Obesity Forum , where Malhotra is listed as a senior advisor. This organization is funded by the meat industry and pharmaceutical companies .

    The conclusions of the scientific article are based on meta-analysis and observational studies. Scientists have criticized the methods and results of this study, pointing to the poor quality of the source data. To date, there have been a lot of high-quality randomized controlled clinical trials, which clearly indicate that reducing saturated fat intake reduces cholesterol and reduces the likelihood of heart attacks. For example, here is an analysis of 15 studies in which 59,000 people were taken in total. It shows that reducing saturated fat in a diet lowers the risk of cardiovascular events (including disease and stroke) by 17%.

    Nutritionists say there are no “good” or “bad” foods. There is a general method of healthy eating.- These are habits that must be adhered to. So from time to time you can eat bacon or shashlik. The main thing is not to abuse.

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