This is the first in a three-part piece exploring the problem with “low-fat” and “non-fat” products.

BEFORE I get into the actual nutritional and health aspects of this topic, I would just like to apply one caveat that has always served me well without fail. Common sense. Intuition. Gut feelings. Whenever making a decision about something big or small, short term or long term, innocuous or serious, I always speak to my conscience first. I take all worldly influences and completely discount them. I do not listen to what the advertisement says, or what the salesman sells. I simply ask myself, “Does this make sense? Is this valid? Will this be beneficial or harmful?” And, most importantly, “Who stands to gain from this (almost without fail, financially) whether it is true or false?” When you take a couple of minutes to apply this type of reasoning, you can almost guarantee the correct answer will surface and serve you well.

The first time all of the hype about “low fat” and “non fat” hit the sales and marketing world regarding health and nutrition, I applied this method quickly and efficiently. Therefore, I simply asked myself not what are the benefits of lower fat consumption but rather, how are they lowering the fat content? Naturally, my conscience swiftly replied, “by adding water–diluting it”. Of course, they are diluting the concentration by increasing volume of a near chemically inert liquid. In other words, they are selling you or the original product in an equally or more expensive watered down (literally) version of the pure product.

Then came the question, well how can they make these “tasty” things that are sweet or “fill” you while claiming “no fat”? Conscience? Of course. They are using semantics. There is no actual “fat” form in the product; however, the ingredients that are in the product (such as sugars and carbohydrates and high fructose corn syrups) are almost immediately turned to and stored as fat. Not to mention the salts. Sneaky. So, the obese person consumes more and more watered down, mostly sugar/starch/carb products believing they will not cause them to get fatter, when, voila they keep packing on the weight. Not to mention the fluids, the carcinogenic effects from artificial sweeteners, and the deadly diabetes that these things more than likely contribute to on a continual long-term basis.

From the beginning, the conventional low-fat diet was based on very weak scientific evidence, which has since been thoroughly disproven. In the past few decades, many massive, long-term studies have shown that this diet is a very poor choice. Not only is it proven to be ineffective, it can also be downright harmful for a lot of people.

SEVEN WAYS THE LOW-FAT DIET

CAN HARM YOUR HEALTH

1. THE LOW-FAT DIET ENCOURAGES CONSUMPTION OF HARMFUL FOODS

When the low-fat guidelines first came out, food manufacturers jumped on the bandwagon.

They wanted to bring a whole bunch of “heart healthy” low-fat foods to the market, in order to sell to the health _conscious crowd. However, there is one big problem with foods that have had the fat removed from them… they taste like crap. For this reason, the food manufacturers added sugar. Sugar is not a fat, it’s a carbohydrate. Therefore, a product can be labelled “low fat” or even “no fat” although it is loaded with sugar (I should point out that the low-fat guidelines do recommend that we reduce refined sugars, but not nearly as enthusiastically as they warn us about “dangerous” fats). The conventional low-fat diet (brought to you by the United States Department of Agriculture) also advocates increased consumption of certain foods:

Vegetable Oils — Vegetable oils can reduce cholesterol in the short term, but in the long term they cause harm and are significantly associated with inflammation and heart disease.

Whole Wheat — A significant portion of the population may be sensitive to wheat gluten, experiencing symptoms like pain, stool inconsistency, tiredness, among various other symptoms. Basically, since the low-fat guidelines came out, people have increased their consumption of potentially harmful foods like sugar, wheat and vegetable oils.

Bottom line, many high sugar junk foods with a low-fat label have flooded the market. The low-fat diet also advocates consumption of foods now known to cause harm.

2. THE LOW-FAT DIET CAN RAISE

YOUR TRIGLYCERIDES

Having elevated triglycerides in the blood is a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It is also one of the features of the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms believed to play a causal role in cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes. When blood triglycerides are elevated, it is usually because the liver is turning excess carbohydrates (especially fructose). Because the low-fat diet is also a high-carb diet, this diet can lead to an increase in blood triglycerides, potentially elevating the risk of cardiovascular disease. The best way to lower triglycerides is to eat in the exact opposite way, a low-carb, and high fat (good quality fats) diet. Such a diet consistently leads to reductions in blood triglycerides.

Bottom line — The low-fat diet is very high in carbohydrates. Excess carbohydrates are turned into fats in the liver, which raise blood levels of triglycerides, an important cardiovascular risk factor.

3. THE LOW-FAT DIET DISCOURAGES CONSUMPTION OF HEALTHY FOODS

Chicken and egg, smaller animal foods that are naturally high in fat tend to be healthy and nutritious.

While I agree that factory-farmed, grain-fed animal products aren’t an optimal choice, foods from animals that have been properly raised and fed are very healthy. The low-fat diet discourages people from consuming these foods because they contain saturated fat and cholesterol. Here’s a newsflash: Neither saturated fat nor cholesterol have ever been proven to cause harm.

It was a myth all along, they have now been proven to be perfectly safe in multiple large, long-term studies. Blaming the epidemics of obesity, diabetes or heart disease on fatty animal foods makes absolutely no sense, because the diseases are relatively new, while the foods have been with us all along. Plenty of populations throughout the world (for example the Inuit and the Masai) have consumed almost all of their calories from animal foods and remained in excellent health. Here are four examples of foods that have been demonised due to the misguided war on saturated fat:

Meat — Naturally fed meat is an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids, CLA, vitamins and minerals along with important nutrients like Carnosine and Creatine.

Eggs — Eggs are among the healthiest foods on the planet. They are loaded with vitamins and minerals, along with Choline and powerful antioxidants that protect the eyes.

High–fat dairy products — Grass-fed dairy products are the best source of Vitamin K2 in the diet. Also loaded with Calcium, CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) and plenty of other nutrients.

Coconut — Coconut products contain fats that are associated with powerful health benefits, including increased fat burning, better blood lipids and improved brain function.

Bottom line — Foods that are naturally high in saturated fat and cholesterol tend to be highly nutritious and perfectly healthy. The low-fat diet discourages consumption of these foods.

4. THE LOW-FAT DIET CAN LOWER HDL

(THE “GOOD”) CHOLESTEROL

High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is often referred to as the “good” cholesterol. It is well established that having high levels of HDL is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Eating more fat can raise HDL levels, while a high carbohydrate intake can lead to a reduction. Therefore, it is not surprising to see studies where a low-fat, high-carb diet leads to reductions in HDL, which may lead to an increased risk of heart disease. One of many good ways to raise HDL levels is to eat a low-carb diet.

Bottom line – HDL is known as the “good” cholesterol and is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease. Studies show that the low-fat diet reduces blood levels of HDL.

5. THE LOW-FAT DIET LOWERS TESTOSTERONE LEVELS

Testosterone is the main sex hormone in males, but women have small amounts of it too. Like other steroid hormones, testosterone is produced out of cholesterol. Having adequate testosterone levels is important for various aspects of health in both men and women. Having low testosterone levels can lead to decreased muscle mass, increased body fat, osteoporosis, depression and decreased libido, among other things. One of the side effects of a low-fat diet is significantly reduced testosterone levels, one study showing a reduction of 12 per cent after eight weeks on a low-fat diet.

Bottom line — Testosterone is a very important hormone in both men and women. Low-fat diets can significantly reduce testosterone levels.

6. THE LOW-FAT DIET CAN HARM THE PATTERN OF LDL (THE “BAD”) CHOLESTEROL

Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is often referred to as the “bad” cholesterol. It is well established that elevated LDL levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, new data is showing that there are subtypes of LDL. We have small, dense LDL (called pattern B) and Large LDL (called pattern A). The small, dense particles (sdLDL) contribute to heart disease, but not the large ones. A high intake of carbohydrates (especially refined carbohydrates) increases sdLDL, while saturated fat and cholesterol change the LDL particles from the small, dense (bad) subtype to the large (benign) subtype. Studies show that low-fat diets shift the LDL pattern towards small, dense particles, while low-carb, high-fat diets shift them towards large particles.

Bottom line – Even though low-fat diets may cause mild reductions in LDL cholesterol, at the same time they shift the pattern of LDL cholesterol from Large LDL (which is benign) towards small, dense LDL (which is very harmful).

7. THE LOW-FAT DIET GIVES

YOU HEART DISEASE

Heart disease is the most common cause of death in middle- and high-income countries. It is known that traditional populations that don’t eat a Western diet have very little heart disease. When these populations adopt a Western diet, they rapidly become obese, diabetic and start dying from heart disease. Therefore, it seems pretty clear that the Western diet is a significant contributor. There have been several massive, long-term randomised controlled trials (which are the gold standard of science) that have examined the effects of low-fat diets on the risk of heart disease. The Women’s Health Initiative: In a study of 48,835 women, the low-fat diet produced weight loss of only 0.4 kg (1 lb) over a period of 7.5 years. The diet did not lower the risk of heart disease or cancer.

MRFIT: A low-fat diet did not reduce heart disease in a group of 12,866 men at a high risk of having a heart attack, despite the fact that many of the men quit smoking.

Look ahead: A 9.6-year study of 5,145 diabetics revealed that the low-fat diet did not reduce heart disease, despite the fact that they managed to lose weight by forced calorie restriction. Be aware that they are comparing the low-fat diet to the standard western diet, which is pretty much as bad as a diet can get. Another way to consider these results, the low-fat diet is just as effective at causing heart disease as the standard Western diet.

Don’t forget to “Ask Your Chiropractor” every week, where your questions may be published and answered in subsequent articles. Address questions to: Dr Chris Davis, the Spinal Mechanic at movethebone@gmail.com; or, Dr Michael Harvey, director, at dr.michael_harvey@yahoo.com or visit www.drharveychiropractic.com