You probably have heard about the new popular diet, “Paleo diet”, revered by fans of crossfit and heavy weight lifting. In short, this diet is trying to simulate a cave man diet. Those people eliminate sugars and grains and substitute it with the more meat, eggs and fat in their meals. They also probably told you that they also lose weight, and feel great. It’s hard to believe, just by knowing how much fat and cholesterol they consume from animal fats, that it doesn’t hurt them. It is well known that animal fat is bad for our arteries and for the heart. Or is it bad?
Recent research just published by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition questions that well-known “fact”. Thomas Sanders and his colleges investigated Animal fat and Plant fat diets of 121 people over a 24 week period and came with a shocking conclusion; “animal fat does not impair functions of the arteries, and does not lead them to stiffness.” This could mean it is not bad for the heart.
Could doctors then be wrong advising less animal fat in our diets? It’s hard to say, but always be cautious about new studies that speak against other well accepted research. Also note this study was done on insulin resistant patients, and while some people say it should work even better for healthy people, the answer is- we really don’t know that yet. Just remember, a balanced diet works best.
Thank you so much for this post! I’ve been wondering if the Paleo claims are always up-to-date with scientific information.