By Dr. Lee Hieb, (Hieb) is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in spine surgery. She is the past president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons.
"I have a hobby. When I see a healthy patient over 90 years old, I always ask him about the diet, and the answers are almost always the same: they bend over and say a little guiltily, like a child who has crawled into a cookie jar without asking: “Well, I wouldn't want that for you. talk, but I've been eating butter, eggs and bacon all my life."
At this point, I ask the female patients to reveal the secret of making the cake - and they all agree on one thing - they used lard.
Now I want to point out that this is not a rigorous scientific study, but I have been doing it for over 20 years, and my observation is surprisingly consistent. The important fact, in my opinion, is not what they ate, but what it implies that they didn’t eat: they didn’t switch to margarine. They didn't use Crisco for cooking. They don't bathe in corn oil. In short, they ate natural fats, not artificial ones. In their homemade meats and potatoes, the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 in oil was generally high.
I hate to tarnish the food pyramid, but it deserves it, and again in connection with the consumption of "fats". For the past 40 years, “political cramps” have pushed us towards low-fat foods, as well as promoting margarine for “heart health” instead of butter, and recommending more complex carbohydrates when openly or secretly.
During this reign of nutritional government, Americans became obese, more diabetic, metabolic syndrome and Alzheimer's dementia. The recommendation holds true even in the face of massive data showing that oils derived from plants such as soy and corn - that is, omega-6 oils - cause inflammation in the body and contribute to disease.
Studies of the paleo diet and diets from other historical periods have shown that primitive man ate food consisting mainly of animal meat (along with fat) that ate grass, and also consumed nuts, roots and berries. As a result, the fat intake was fairly balanced and was 1: 1 of Omega 6 (usually vegetable oil) and Omega-3 (mainly from fish and olive oil).
At the turn of the last century, the industrial revolution gave us the ability to process food, in the human diet the ratio became about 4: 1, after the Second World War - 8: 1, and today the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is somewhere around 20: 1. …
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Since we progressed from our hunter-gatherer stage of pastoral life and early agriculture, we have added milk and cheese, some baked goods to the menu, and so far we have not seen, in general, the diseases of modern civilization. But with the industrialization of agriculture, which allowed us to process and modify grain (see December's column on wheat) and squeeze corn and soybean oil for their oil, we got a blast in heart disease, hypertension, cancer, and dementia.
It is estimated that 20 percent of American calories are from soybean oil. One study, looking at different populations, compared the incidence of coronary heart disease and the level of omega-6 fatty acids in tissues. It shows an almost direct relationship between increased cardiac death and increased tissue Omega 6 levels. And, of course, the USA leads the list. On the other hand, the Inuit and other similar Arctic tribes had 90 percent whale oil in their diet before the advent of "civilization" and did not have these diseases and obesity.
Why are these Omega 6s from vegetable oils harmful to us? Because they produce the chemicals responsible for inflammation in the body. And the inflammation spans the entire organ system, or at least clogged arteries and cancers, autoimmune diseases, and dementia occur.
One of the most interesting and important aspects of all of this is that omega-6 oils and omega-3 oils make up our brains. The human brain is the primary consumer of cholesterol, which is vital for proper neurological function. It is a precursor to many hormones, including serotonin, a major neurotransmitter in the brain associated with happiness and normal sleep. Cholesterol can be an antioxidant. And one study that used IV injections of HDL cholesterol showed that it actually acted as a cleanser for dirty arteries.
In general, cholesterol issues and related hypotheses will be considered another time, but, in general, we were "bought" by spreading the opinion that any high cholesterol level is bad. And this, despite the information that in people over 60 years of age, mortality and dementia rates rise if the level of cholesterol drops below 250 units (approx. The measurement system adopted in the United States). In the Melbourne Women's Midlife Health project, a group of 326 women aged 52-63 were observed studying memory and cholesterol levels. They found that higher serum LDL cholesterol concentrations and relatively recent increases in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were associated with improved memory.
Manufacturers of statins, the most widely used cholesterol-lowering drug, and pharmaceutical companies' financial center, claim this memory loss is "transient" and recommend discontinuing the drug, but concerns remain.
Polyneuropathy, a metabolic disease of the nerves that gives patients numbness in the arms and legs, is apparently associated with statin use and lower cholesterol levels, which are not always reversible. For my money, something damages my nerves and poses a risk to my brain. There is no doubt that some people benefit from statins and lowering cholesterol, but we started lowering the level at first to less than 350 points and got to the 200 point level, which is now labeled "abnormal."
For myself, I have taken for granted the increase in cholesterol with age, but I scrupulously study fats before swallowing. I avoid processed food packages as they are usually made with bad oil. I make my Christmas pudding with raisins and gluten-free ingredients and lard, using butter and olive oil, and taking extra fish oil.
I had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Barry Sears, author of Anti-Inflammatory Zones, about fish oil. He, and others, currently recommend three grams of good quality fish oil in addition to our American diet for people who are generally healthy. People with chronic conditions may need more, and I recommend his good book. Olive oil is a staple in cooking, but I also use coconut oil for cooking and try to include a small amount in my daily diet. It is believed that coconut oil bypasses the metabolic block of Alzheimer's disease and has been used experimentally in the treatment of this disease.
Finally, fat is insulin-neutral - that is, it does not raise or lower insulin levels. But fat in a certain ratio allows carbohydrates to be absorbed. Fat ice cream has a lower glycemic index than low fat varieties. There is too little fat in our diet. The French are right in this case - they have never eaten "low-fat" foods, but they have fewer problems with cardiovascular diseases than the United States.
So fats are not the enemy, but must be eaten in their natural, unprocessed form. My rule of thumb for the overall diet: “If my great-grandmother didn’t know this or that product, such as Little Debbies, Cheetos (and I love Cheetos!), Microwave popcorn, etc., I don’t eat it. ". But my diet is rich, varied, and delicious. Bon Appetit!"