saturated" and unsaturated fats

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Fat facts and follies

Live-saving lipids 101

For decades now, one of the staples of my campaign to re-educate
(or counter-educate, as it were) Americans as to what's healthy has
been to promote a proper understanding of the vital role fats —
especially the mainstream-maligned saturated ones — play in your
good health. And since it's been a while since I've had occasion to
stress this, I thought I'd write a little refresher on the topic for
today's Dose...

First off, for anyone who's a little sketchy on the difference
between "saturated" and "unsaturated" fats, here's the scoop: The
more hydrogen atoms that bind to receptive carbon atoms in a
given fat, the more saturated it is. In English, that translates into
this: The more solid a fat is at room temperature, the more
saturated. The more liquid, the less saturated. That's all that these
terms really mean.

However, the meat-hating mainstream has programmed us all to
believe saturated fats from animal sources (butter, lard, milk fat,
etc.) are the "killer fats" that cause high blood pressure and high
cholesterol. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Countless
studies show that the MORE animal fats people eat, the better their
heart health. Need some proof from the real world? The African
Masai, North American Eskimos, Japanese, Greeks, Okinawans,
and our good friends the French all consume diets that are
extremely high (by mainstream American standards) in saturated
animal fats. Yet these people enjoy astonishingly low rates of heart
disease, hypertension, and coronary events.

Meanwhile, we Pritikin-programmed Americans are dropping like
flies to these same conditions. Why? Because we DON'T EAT
ENOUGH animal fats—instead we load up on proven deadly
trans-fatty acids made from vegetable fats (any food with anything
"hydrogenated" in the ingredients is one of these). Also, we gorge
ourselves with refined flours and carbohydrates that our livers
convert into deadly triglycerides in the blood. Meanwhile, our
bodies and minds pine away, since fats in our diet give us:

* Fuel for a stronger heart
* Energy for physical activity
* Immunity-boosting antiviral agents
* A natural defense against depression
* Raw materials for building more resilient cells
* Increased concentrations of HDL "good" cholesterol
* The vital chemicals our brains need to remain sharp and
focused

Get the picture? Eat your animal fats!

And just when I though the mainstream might really be coming
around on this because of the success of Atkins and other high-
animal-fat and protein nutritional plans, here's what I read...

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"Heart Health Alert: Don't listen to your doctor!"

Why do I say that? Because the medical mainstream's got it
all wrong "for a change." When it comes to heart health, fat
and cholesterol are NOT the enemies. In fact, your body needs
them to stay healthy.

I know what the true culprits behind heart disease are--and the
good news is, keeping your heart healthy can be easy. Beyond
enjoying a delicious low-carb eating plan, I've got a brand new,
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The killer microwave

As if it isn't bad enough that the medical mainstream is preaching
the low-fat heresy to our ever-more-obese-and-diabetic nation,
now OVEN MANUFACTURERS have joined the "fat is fatal"
bandwagon...

That's right: They've developed a "fat-busting" microwave oven!

According to a recent Reuters Health article, the Sharp Corporation
is about to unveil a new-generation microwave designed to reduce
the fat content of foods cooked in it. Using steam superheated to
nearly 600 degrees Fahrenheit, the unit promises to melt off a
percentage of fats and oils (also salt) from steak, fish, chicken, and
other foods.

Hmmm. An oven that takes the healthiest foods you can eat and
strips them of the very thing that makes them so healthy — jeez,
what a breakthrough! What's next, a line of dishes, cups, and
cereal bowls that secretes refined sugar into everything you serve
on them? Or maybe a popcorn popper that automatically saturates
your snack with trans-fat-loaded artificial butter-flavored vegetable
oil or margarine.

Oh, wait. They already have that.

Slated to go on sale soon in Japan (ironically, one of the healthiest
nations on Earth largely because of its large per-capita
consumption of meats, fish, and fats), the unit should hit these
shores within a year, I'd think. But with its "bargain price" of
around $1100, at least this oven will only help give heart disease to
a tiny sliver of the marketplace...

Not breathing the mainstream's hot air,

William Campbell Douglass II, MD

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ESSENTIAL DAY TO DAY HEALTH

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