Re: Health benefits of saturated fats

And we've also seen how often that orthodoxy and corporate money
determines who and what gets published in peer reviewed pubs so often.
Such that the journal's publishers have even lamented it.


Susan Quoted:
A recent study involving over 40,000 middle-aged and older American
men over a period of six years found that there was no link between
saturated fat intake and heart disease in men. It also supported the
contention that linolenic acid (a form of fat) is preventive against
heart disease. (Ascherio A et. al. Dietary fat and risk of coronary
heart disease in men: cohort follow up study in the United States.
British Medical Journal, 1996 Jul 13, 313:7049, 84-90.)"
"The idea that saturated fats cause heart disease is completely wrong,
but the statement has been 'published' so many times over the last
three or more decades that it is very difficult to convince people
otherwise unless they are willing to take the time to read and learn
what...produced the anti-saturated fat agenda." (Dr. Mary Enig,
Consulting Editor to the Journal of the American College of Nutrition,
President of the Maryland Nutritionists Association, and noted lipids
researcher.)

Reply:
This is a good example of why one must always check references to make
sure they are being interpeted correctly.

Mary Enig said (about the reference study)
"The idea that saturated fats cause heart disease is completely wrong,
but the statement has been 'published' so many times over the last
three or more decades that it is very difficult to convince people
otherwise unless they are willing to take the time to read and learn
what...produced the anti-saturated fat agenda."

She should take her own advice.
Here's what the study actually said. Its a far cry from the how the
study is construed above:

//
**********************************************************************
Dietary fat and risk of coronary heart disease in men: cohort follow
up study in the United States.Ascherio A, Rimm EB, Giovannucci EL,
Spiegelman D, Stampfer M, Willett WC.
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

OBJECTIVE--To examine the association between fat intake and the
incidence of coronary heart disease in men of middle age and older.
DESIGN--Cohort questionnaire study of men followed up for six years
from 1986. SETTING--The health professionals follow up study in the
United States. SUBJECTS--43 757 health professionals aged 40 to 75
years free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease or diabetes in 1986.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--Incidence of acute myocardial infarction or
coronary death. RESULTS--During follow up 734 coronary events were
documented, including 505 non-fatal myocardial infarctions and 229
deaths. After age and several coronary risk factors were controlled
for significant positive associations were observed between intake of
saturated fat and risk of coronary disease. For men in the top versus
the lowest fifth of saturated fat intake (median = 14.8% v 5.7% of
energy) the multivariate relative risk for myocardial infarction was
1.22 (95% confidence interval 0.96 to 1.56) and for fatal coronary
heart disease was 2.21 (1.38 to 3.54). After adjustment for intake of
fibre the risks were 0.96 (0.73 to 1.27) and 1.72 (1.01 to 2.90),
respectively. Positive associations between intake of cholesterol and
risk of coronary heart disease were similarly attenuated after
adjustment for fibre intake. Intake of linolenic acid was inversely
associated with risk of myocardial infarction; this association became
significant only after adjustment for non-dietary risk factors and was
strengthened after adjustment for total fat intake (relative risk 0.41
for a 1% increase in energy, P for trend < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS--These
data do not support the strong association between intake of saturated
fat and risk of coronary heart disease suggested by international
comparisons. They are compatible, however, with the hypotheses that
saturated fat and cholesterol intakes affect the risk of coronary
heart disease as predicted by their effects on blood cholesterol
concentration. They also support a specific preventive effect of
linolenic acid intake.

PMID: 8688759 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
PMCID: PMC2351515



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