Health Impact News Editor Comments:
I love reading the blog posts from Dave (does not give a last name) at the Healthy Diets and Science blog. He pours over journal entries that debunk current myths regarding diet and nutrition and then blogs about them. This is what he says about his blog:
“WHAT DOES THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE ACTUALLY SAY ABOUT WHAT CONSTITUTES A HEALTHY DIET & HEALTHY WAY TO LIVE?
I have managed to lose 56lb of excess weight, all my minor & major health problems have cleared up and I’m fitter now & am more vibrantly healthy than I have ever been in my entire adult life.
I did this by examining many hundreds of scientific papers concerning health, diet, prescription drugs & supplements and then basing my way of eating and living on their findings. This website gives you access to those (over 550) scientific studies.
Use this website as a reference point and a platform for further research. Ignore the soundbites, propaganda & adverts that emanate through the media, and study the actual papers. THEN MAKE UP YOUR OWN MIND WHAT CONSTITUTES A HEALTHY DIET & HEALTHY WAY TO LIVE.”
On Friday, he posted about a study that was just published this month in the American Journal of Cardiology and was done in Boston: Relation Between High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Survival to Age 85 Years in Men (from the VA Normative Aging Study). The study concluded that the higher men’s HDL cholesterol levels, the longer they lived and the more likely it was that they would reach the age of 85. Here is a quote from the study:
In a comparison between survivors and nonsurvivors to 85 years of age in men enrolled in the VA NAS, we found that survivors had significantly higher initial HDL cholesterol levels and, as expected, were significantly less likely to be smokers or have hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, or CHD at initial examination. In analyses examining the relation between categorized HDL cholesterol and longevity, we found that higher initial HDL cholesterol levels (50 mg/dl) were associated with a 28% relative risk decrease for death before 85 years of age compared to those with the lowest HDL cholesterol levels (40 mg/dl). Furthermore, we found that each 10-mg/dl increment of HDL cholesterol was associated with a 14% risk decrease for mortality before 85 years of age. In a comparison between survivors and nonsurvivors to 85 years of age in men enrolled in the VA NAS, we found that survivors had significantly higher initial HDL cholesterol levels and, as expected, were significantly less likely to be smokers or have hypertension, cerebrovascular disease,or CHD at initial examination. In analyses examining the relation between categorized HDL cholesterol and longevity, we found that higher initial HDL cholesterol levels(50 mg/dl) were associated with a 28% relative risk decrease for death before 85 years of age compared to those with the lowest HDL cholesterol levels (40 mg/dl). Furthermore, we found that each 10-mg/dl increment of HDL cholesterol was associated with a 14% risk decrease formortality before 85 years of age.
So since high levels of HDL cholesterol are seen as so positive in this (and actually several others) study, Dave at the Healthy Diets and Science blog then references another study done in 1992: An analysis of 27 trials found the best way to raise HDL cholesterol is to eat more saturated fat. The study was published in Arteriosclerosis and Thrombosis and the copyright is held by the American Heart Association.
So there you have it. Publishing factual research from the peer-reviewed literature available which concludes: “Eating more saturated fat helps you live to at least 85 years of age.” What, you didn’t read this news in the mainstream media last week when it was published in the American Journal of Cardiology?? Hmm… Well, we all know what the healthiest saturated fat is: coconut oil!
Dave’s Blog link: http://healthydietsandscience.blogspot.com/2011/02/eating-more-saturated-fat-helps-you.html