Saturated Fat: Could It Be Good for Us?

The medical community has been down on saturated fat for decades, but the latest news is that the belief was based on flawed studies. Much of the heart disease we experience appears to be caused by processed carbs and too much insulin.

Could saturated fat really be good for us instead of the pariah it’s been protrayed as? Yes, according to an item by Tim Ferriss in the January/February ’10 Well Being Journal. He’s the author of the 4-Hour Body and renowned for his tireless research on everything fitness. Those who tout the benefits of saturated fat have several reasons, says Ferriss:

1) It has been shown to improve cardiovascular health by raising good cholesterol and reducing substances that are linked to heart attack risk.

2) It causes liver cells to discharge fat content, “a crucial step in reducing midbody fat storage (it also helps protect the liver from the ravages of alcohol and medications).”

3) It is essential for shuttling calcium into bone, so it can help prevent osteoporosis.

4) It is the “sole component of lung surfactant,” which is essential to having the lungs function properly.

5) Major portions of the brain are composed of it, and so it is at least as important to brain function as the omega-3s you get from fish oil.

6) It helps the metabolism function properly.

7) It fortifies the immune system, strengthening white blood cells.

So if saturated fat is good for us, how much do we need? According to the Weston A. Price Foundation (www.WestonAPrice.org), “During the 1970s, researchers from Canada found that animals fed rapeseed oil and canola oil developed heart lesions. This problem was corrected when they added saturated fat to the animals diets. On the basis of this and other research, they ultimately determined that the dietary fat should be at least 25 percent saturated fat. Among the food fats that they tested, the one found to have the best proportion of saturated fat was lard, the very fat we are told to avoid under all circumstances!”