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Another Sacred Medical Cow May Be Next To Get Slaughtered: The Good And Bad News About Saturated Fat
Long considered bad for one’s heart, there is a growing chorus from the pro-fat advocates that claim this is a lie.
A sacred cow is a figure of speech for something considered immune from question or criticism. As a cardiologist (40+ years), I was taught that excessive dietary saturated fat and cholesterol were bad for one's health. Please read this for a detailed discussion of how we got fooled about eating too much cholesterol. This story discussed the lies we were told about dietary cholesterol and heart disease. However, the saturated fat story is another matter.
To recap, a diet high in saturated fatty acids (SFAs) is suspected of contributing to the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), in large part because it raises the concentration of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). LDL-C is considered the “bad” cholesterol, whereas high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is the “good “ cholesterol.
This means that the LDL-C delivers cholesterol to our organs and arteries, and the HDL-C takes it away from them. It is more complicated than this, and I am trying to make it simple to understand. If you want a more detailed…
