Very interesting article, makes a lot of sense to me.

One question. My Dad was a farmer in Ireland, ate his own beef,
eggs, butter from local milk. Organic and free range almost
completely. He liked his meat and butter a lot. Did not drink
excessively and quit smoking (light smoker) when first alarms raised.
Very active man. Died of a heart attack age 70. I have always thought it
was the diet, but now I have my doubts and am really enjoying
my food again:) . What do you think? Thanks

This is really, really good stuff.
I’ve recently:

i) cut out all foods with added vegetable oil, seeds, and nuts (except macadamia nuts, and the occasional hazelnut/almond, maybe a pumpkin seed or two, sometimes, also.)
ii) upped my intake of saturated fatty acids, in particular, medium length ones like lauric acid
iii) upped my intake of cholesterol rich foods like liver and eggs.

I always *felt* bad when eating vegetable oil laden ‘foods’, but believed the rubbish touted by the mouthpieces from the AHA/BHA, etc. It’s funny, but eating a nutrient dense, mono-unsaturated and saturated fatty acid rich food base, and avoiding the evils of linoleic acid has … well, my heart rate has normalised a lot, and I just feel stronger and better!

It appears you are misinformed on LDL and saturated fat. Read the linked references as well as the other articles in my special reports on heart disease and EFAs.

-where’s your source that it’s the oxidation of the LDL that contributes to it?

-eating nuts and seeds is bad now? What about pistachios, cashews, almonds, macademia? These are delicious and excellent sources of saturated fat. Polyunsaturated fat is also in fish and leafy greens which is also great food.

-where’s the reference for 75% of arterial plaque is made up of unsaturated fat?

-linoleic acid is also found in chicken fat and egg yolk. Where’s your source that it promotes inflammation?

-keep in mind I’m a low carb Paleo eater but the fact remains that as LDL goes up, so does usually “small” LDL go up. And that for many people a saturated fat, paleo diet does increase LDL levels.

Thanks for your time.

Consider that traditional cultures that subsisted largely on grass-fed animal products and seafood were almost completely free of cancer. It is the modern diet of processed and refined food, not meat and diary products, that has contributed to the cancer epidemic.

You have written extensively of the benefits of your diet recommendations for heart disease.  I would like to see more information about cancer risks with this type of diet.  I am new to this site and will continue reading.

Thanks for your comment and welcome to the blog.

LDL particles carrying a high proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acids are far more susceptible to oxidative damage than those enriched with saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids. (link).

Consumption of polyunsaturated vegetable oils has repeatedly been shown to increase LDL oxidation, even though it lowers LDL and total cholesterol levels. (link)

See this study on polyunsaturated fatty acids and composition of human aortic plaques. (link)

Analysis of the lipid portion of atherosclerotic plaques shows they contain a disproportionately high concentration of n-6 fatty acid linoleic acid, and that plaque content of linoleic acid correlates with dietary intake. (link)

Higher plaque concentrations of linoleic acid are also associated with an increased likelihood of plaque rupture. ((link)

It is well-established that plaque rupture is a major trigger of acute coronary events. (link)

“More than 40 trials have been performed to see if cholesterol lowering can prevent heat attacks. When all the results were pooled together, just as many died in the treatment groups as the control groups.” (link)

“And what promotes oxidation of the LDL particle? Eating polyunsaturated fat.”

and…

“In addition to promoting oxidation of LDL particles, polyunsaturated fats contribute directly to atherosclerosis and heart attacks. 75% of arterial plaque is made up of unsaturated fat, of which 50% is polyunsaturated (only 25% is saturated). The greater the concentration of polyunsaturated fat in the plaque, the more likely it is to rupture. Such ruptures, and the ensuing blood clots that form, are a primary cause of heart attacks.”

Also, this one:

“More than 40 trials have been performed to see if cholesterol lowering can prevent heat attacks. When all the results were pooled together, just as many died in the treatment groups as the control groups.”

Thanks!

Thanks for your comment and support.

My wife is Canadian and we are both outraged at what has transpired there. It’s unbelievable.

Why doesn’t Steinberg suggest taxing and regulating vegetable oil, processed food, sugar and refined flour? These are the true causes of heart disease. But of course, the powerful lobbies behind such foods would never let that happen, and most Americans have been so brainwashed by the hype against traditional, nutrient dense foods like saturated fat, cholesterol and meat that they feel guilty when they eat them – if they eat them at all.

Yet strangely they feel no such compunction while diving into a bag of chips fried in soybean oil, which is far more likely to give them a heart attack.