Fats or carbohydrates?
Why is fat the best enemy of your brain?
How to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases? Are there healthy fats and how do they affect our body? Together with the publishing house "MYTH" we publish an excerpt from the book "Food and the brain. What carbohydrates do with health, thinking and memory" by David Perlmutter with the participation of Kristin Loberg.
Manufacturers of processed foods continue to write "low–fat" labels to boost sales, because a lot of people still believe that low fat is good. But this goes against modern scientific data.
You have already read about studies more than twenty years ago that found that increased mortality corresponds to carbohydrate intake and, conversely, reduced mortality corresponds to increased fat intake (as well as a reduction in the risk of cardiovascular diseases). I don't know why we are still talking about the dependence of cardiovascular problems on fat and cholesterol. In 2017, a report about a study appeared again in the highly respected Lancet magazine, during which experts from reputable institutions from around the world studied a huge number of people (135,335) from 18 countries. Age – from 35 to 70 years. The average follow–up period is 7.4 years. A specific assessment of the foods consumed by these people was carried out, the diet was evaluated by macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats), and fat intake was also divided in order to consider separately the amount of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. In addition, diets were compared according to the risk of various events, including death, serious cardiovascular complication, stroke and heart failure.
The researchers obtained very convincing results. They noted that increased carbohydrate intake (compared those who consumed carbohydrates the most and those who consumed the least) correlated with a 28% increased risk of death. The total amount of fat, as well as the amount of fat of each type, was also strongly associated with the risk of death. Those who consumed the highest amount of fat reduced the risk of death by 23% during the study. Those who consumed the largest amount of saturated fat had a 14% reduced risk of death, for monounsaturated fat consumers this value was 19%, and for study participants with the maximum intake of polyunsaturated fats – an incredible 20%.
In addition, a high intake of scary and terrible saturated fats reduced the risk of stroke by 20%. The authors concluded: "The consumption of large amounts of carbohydrates is associated with an increased risk of overall mortality, whereas fats (both in general and for individual types) are associated with reduced mortality. The total amount of fat and individual types of fat were not associated with cardiovascular diseases, myocardial infarction or mortality from cardiovascular diseases, while an inverse relationship of saturated fat with stroke was revealed. In the light of these results, the global guidelines in the field of nutrition should be revised."
A small pilot study in 2017 showed that the condition of Alzheimer's patients who followed the ketogenic diet program at the University of Kansas for three months improved by an average of four points on the Alzheimer's Cognitive Function Assessment scale (ADAS-cog) – one of the most important assessments in the treatment of dementia. The diet included 70% fat. According to Dr. Russell Swerdlow, who led the study and presented its results at an international conference on Alzheimer's disease, "this is the most stable improvement I know of on the ADAS-cog scale in an interventional study." But here's the bottom line, and it needs to be remembered: the diet has improved the cognitive abilities of Alzheimer's patients more than any anti-amyloid drug that has ever been tested. This clearly shows the power of the diet, in particular, the role of fats and carbohydrates. In a larger study published in 2015, a randomized clinical trial in a group of elderly people followed for five years showed that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts was associated with improved cognitive function. Subsequently, I will assume that one of the simplest ways to add "good" fats to the diet is to use a lot of cold–pressed olive oil (extra virgin is indicated on the labels).
Studies show that this oil not only reduces the risk of cognitive impairment, but also protects against stroke and diabetes. I do not know of medicines that can compare with it.
In order to fully understand the harm of carbohydrates and the benefits of fats, it is necessary to recall some basic biological processes. During digestion, carbohydrates obtained with food, including sugars and starches, are converted into glucose, which, as you know, signals the pancreas to release insulin into the blood. Insulin moves glucose into cells, where it is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. It is also the main catalyst for the production of fats – glucose is converted into fat when there is no longer room for glycogen in the liver and muscles. Carbohydrates, not dietary fats, are the main reason for gaining weight. (Think about it: many farmers fatten cattle intended for slaughter with carbohydrates, for example, corn and grain, and not fats and proteins. You can see the difference by comparing, say, New York steaks from grain-fed and grass-fed animals: the meat of those that were grain-fed contains much more fat.)
This partly explains why one of the most noticeable effects of a low–carb diet is weight loss. Moreover, such a diet reduces the sugar level in diabetics and improves insulin sensitivity. In fact, replacing carbohydrates with fats is an increasingly preferred method for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. By constantly consuming a lot of carbohydrates, you force your insulin pumps to work continuously and at the same time significantly limit (if not completely stop) the burning of fats in the body. Your body gets used to this glucose. And even if you use up all of it, a high concentration of insulin will not allow you to use fat as fuel. In essence, because of a carbohydrate diet, your body is physically starving. Therefore, many obese people cannot lose weight – they eat carbohydrates, and a high concentration of insulin holds fat hostage, not allowing it to be used.
Let's turn now to dietary fat. Fat is and has always been a pillar of our nutrition. In addition to the fact that the human brain is more than 70% fat, this organic compound plays a key role in the regulation of the immune system. Simply put, "good" fats (for example, omega-3 and monounsaturated fats) reduce inflammation, and modified hydrogenated lipids, which are widely distributed in finished products, enhance it. In addition, fat is required for proper absorption and transportation of vitamins, in particular A, D, E and K. They do not dissolve in water and can be absorbed in the small intestine only in combination with fat. The lack of these vital vitamins has serious consequences for the body and leads to brain diseases and many other disorders. For example, with a lack of vitamin K, blood does not form clots after vascular damage, which can lead to spontaneous bleeding (imagine that this happens in the brain). Vitamin K is also important for brain and eye health, it helps reduce the risk of age-related dementia and macular degeneration. (dietary fat from healthy sources, such as higher omega-3 fatty acids, prevents macular degeneration). Without enough vitamin A, the brain cannot develop properly; you will begin to go blind and become extremely vulnerable to infections. Vitamin D deficiency contributes to predisposition to several chronic diseases, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, depression, seasonal affective disorders and a number of autoimmune diseases, such as type 1 diabetes.
If you follow the generally accepted point of view today, then you are required to limit the proportion of calories derived from fats to 20% (and if we are talking about saturated fats, then below 10%). You also know how difficult it is to achieve this. Now breathe a sigh of relief: this is a misconception, and with my program you don't have to worry about counting the mass of fats or their proportion in the diet. While synthetic trans fats found in margarine and processed foods are poisonous, monounsaturated fats, which are rich in avocados, olives and nuts, are good for health.
Polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids are also good, which are found in fish from cold seas (for example, in salmon) and in some plants (for example, in flax and, accordingly, in linseed oil). And what about natural saturated fats, which are rich in meat, egg yolk, cheese and butter? As I said before, saturated fats have a bad name. Most of us do not even wonder why they are now considered unhealthy food. We simply agree that what has been said is the truth. Or we mistakenly put them in the same category as trans fats. In fact, saturated fats are needed, and our body is well adapted for processing them even in large quantities.
Saturated fats play a key role in many biochemical processes that support our health. If your mother breastfed you in infancy, then they were the basis of your nutrition, since they make up 54% of breast milk fats. They are necessary for every cell: cell membranes are 50% saturated fat. They are found in the lungs, heart, bones, liver, and contribute to the work of the immune system. In the lungs, one of the saturated fats – 16-palmitic acid – creates a lung surfactant that reduces surface tension so as to help expand the alveoli (tiny air sacs that capture oxygen from the inhaled air and ensure its entry into the blood). Without surfactant, you would not be able to breathe, because the moist surfaces of the alveoli in the lungs would stick together and would not allow the lungs to expand. The presence of surfactant in the lungs prevents asthma and other respiratory disorders.
Saturated fats serve as nutrition for the muscle cells of the heart and are necessary for the bones to effectively absorb calcium. With the help of saturated fats, the liver protects you from the adverse effects of toxins, including alcohol and toxic substances contained in medicines. Partly due to the lipids present in butter and coconut oil, the white blood cells of your immune system recognize and destroy microbes, as well as fight tumors. Even the endocrine system uses saturated fatty acids to transmit signals about the need to produce certain hormones, including insulin. And they also help to tell your brain that you are full and can get up from the table. I don't expect you to remember all this biology. I'm talking about it to emphasize the biological necessity of saturated fats.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru