The Dangers of Saturated Fat
Is Overstated and Exaggerated

Saturated fats haven't changed in the past 50 years, but lifestyles, eating habits and exposure to toxins certainly have. So it makes no sense logically that there are severe dangers of saturated fats. The only logical explanation is that factors that are DIFFERENT in the past 50 years are responsible for heart disease and the epidemic of chronic health problems that our ancestors, who ate plenty of saturated fats, didn't experience.

What are Saturated Fats

Saturated fats are fats that have their carbon bonds already 'full' or 'saturated' with some other substance. Usually, these fats are solid or semi-solid at room temperature like the fat in meat. By contrast, unsaturated fats like olive oil (a monounsaturated fat) and corn oil (a Polyunsaturated Oil or PUFA) are generally liquid at room temperature. Because the carbon bonds are not saturated, these oils can BECOME saturated with oxygen in the environment. When this happens, it is NOT beneficial and the oils actually become rancid and unsuitable for consumption.

So, interestingly, while doctors talk about the dangers of saturated fats, Polyunsaturated Oil that have been sitting around for a long period of time, as many of our oils that are processed far away and left standing in warehouses often are, are far more dangerous to health than naturally occurring saturated fats.

Who Decided There were
Dangers of Saturated Fats

Researchers who were studying cholesterol began to see a trend of higher cholesterol levels in those who ate more saturated fats and determined that saturated fats cause heart disease.

They determined this DESPITE no direct evidence that saturated fats OR higher cholesterol levels contribute to heart disease!

Yet this conclusion has been used for the past few decades to push an anti saturated fat agenda on westerners and to replace these saturated fats with so- called 'Vegetable Oils' that are discussed below and on the Polyunsaturated Oils page.

Polyunsaturated Fats are One Health Hazard

The Dangers of Saturated Fats are WILDLY overblown in comparison to the 'modern' Polyunsaturated Oil such as:

Corn Oil

Safflower Oil

Soybean Oil

that were never used by our ancestors. The current use of so-called 'Vegetable' oils IS a HUGE risk factor for cancer in animals- and a few studies have linked them to cancer in humans as well. But because they reduce cholesterol levels, they are being billed as 'heart healthy' despite the fact that higher cholesterol levels have never been conclusively linked to heart disease- and lowered cholesterol levels, in some studies HAVE been linked to higher cancer rates. The important thing to remember about these fats is that they can ONLY be made with modern processing and are, by definition, highly processed foods.

Saturated Fats from Unnatural Sources

Unfortunately, because doctors began to believe in the dangers of saturated fats, manufacturers needed a replacement for these fats for packaged, fried and processed foods that needed the stability of fats that don't go rancid. So, they began taking the already unnatural polyunsaturated oils discussed above, and 'saturating' them to make them suitable for a long shelf life. Trans-fats, also called:

Trans-Fatty Acids
Hydrogenated Oil
Partially Hydrogenated Oil

are without a doubt one of the top unhealthy foods in the world. Governmental advice to avoid 'saturated' fats was a disaster in the making that caused huge long-term health consequences in the form of chronic illness that we are only now discovering. If you want to maintain your health, avoid trans-fatty acids 100% of the time. Even small amounts can cause serious long-term health consequences that we may not even know about for years.

So if you are now confused about what fats to eat and are wondering if the Dangers of Saturated Fats are real, think back to what your ancestors would have eaten. Your ancestors, who had few chronic health problems, would have eaten plenty of saturated fats in the form of:

Butter
FREE RANGE meat and eggs
'Rendered' animal fats such as lard and duck fat (from healthy free ranged animals)
Raw Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
Palm Oil

Most of which, including Raw Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, doctors tell us are bad for us. But would the ancient Mayans have cooked their tortillas in Corn Oil? How about a Roman Statesman's wife greasing her pans with margarine? It wouldn't have happened. But primitive people, as we know from the book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, didn't heed the modern warnings of the dangers of saturated fats, and ate extra virgin coconut oil, butter, lard, eggs, cream, and palm oil- some of which also contain large amounts of Omega 3 Fatty Acids- in amounts that would have astounded us.

Yet they showed no signs of degenerative disease until processed foods such as sugar and white flour were introduced. So, if our ancestors were healthy and of normal weight while eating loads of saturated fats, but became unhealthy and obese eating processed foods- what do you think is going to keep you healthier? Keep reading to find out more about getting a more healthy Substitute For Vegetable Oil…

Next --->
Substitute for Vegetable Oil

Back to Top of Dangers of Saturated Fat

To Easy Immune Health Home Page