The science on why animal fat is good for humans

Re:The science on why animal fat is good for humans by pcurve on Thursday December 29, 2022 @11:27AM (#34174275)

This chart looked pretty striking. "Tokelau, Masai, and Inuit populations who consume “extremely” high percentages of saturated fat yet have extremely low rates of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes."

So much conflicting studies on this, I'm at a loss to what to believe, including this study that points otherwise: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/saturated-f...

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Re:The science on why animal fat is good for humans by chasebank on Thursday December 29, 2022 @11:41AM (#34174484)

I'm not a dietary expert but have you not gone on a Atkins / South Beach / keto / whatever we're calling it this year diet? It's pretty telling. I shed excess weight, I feel amazing and most allergy / autoimmune stuff disappears from my life. The hard part is eating like that the rest of your life.

Even if it did increase risk of heart disease, which I think it most likely does not, I'd rather live a life feeling amazing and die at 75 than feeling subpar all the time living until 95.

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Re:The science on why animal fat is good for humans by jolux on Thursday December 29, 2022 @11:34AM (#34174382)

I’m inclined to believe (on somewhat shaky grounds, after all I’m a hacker not a doctor) that it’s the combination of fats with highly processed carbohydrates and especially sedentary lifestyles that is devastating.

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Re:The science on why animal fat is good for humans by andsoitis on Thursday December 29, 2022 @11:32AM (#34174352)

> high percentages of saturated fat yet have extremely low rates of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes.

They also move around much more, don't eat tons of refined carbs and sugars, live in more "sociable" societies, etc.

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Re:The science on why animal fat is good for humans by christophilus on Thursday December 29, 2022 @11:30AM (#34174321)

My guess is that there are genetic differences, and possibly environmental triggers that change how humans process foods. So, there’s probably no universal rule. Inuits almost certainly need the fats due to their environment. Sub Saharan Africans probably don’t.

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Re:The science on why animal fat is good for humans by Jorengarenar on Thursday December 29, 2022 @11:37AM (#34174430)

I don't know how true it is, but I remember learning back in elementary school there were cases of Europeans dying from food poisoning after eating some Inuit dishes without proper "training".

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Re:The science on why animal fat is good for humans by Rury on Thursday December 29, 2022 @09:26PM (#34181047)

Doesn't seem that farfetched. I mean there are well known genetic conditions which cause you to become mentally retarded, if not death, if you eat certain foods (eg PKU). Then there's protective genetic conditions like gilbert's syndrome, mutations which give lactose tolerance for life, hereditary haemochromatosis...

It should be obvious by now that subtle genetic differences can hold a huge influence in regards to what a "healthy" diet for someone is. IMO, there isn't enough research being done on such matters.

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Re:The science on why animal fat is good for humans by pcurve on Thursday December 29, 2022 @11:53AM (#34174622)

High-fat diet made Inuits healthier but shorter thanks to gene mutations, study finds

https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/high-fat-diet-made-inuits-heal...

There are other reasons, but Inuits also don't live long compare to others. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-inuit/inuit-lifespan-stag...

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Re:The science on why animal fat is good for humans by rdedev on Thursday December 29, 2022 @11:39AM (#34174453)

https://youtu.be/kQHxAAwz_7E

Best take I've seen on this debate. TLDR, in general its better to recommend a plant majority diet on a population basis but on an individual level, try an elimination diet to see what works and what dosent

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Re:The science on why animal fat is good for humans by vasqw on Thursday December 29, 2022 @11:49AM (#34174569)

All these studies are the same... A gazillion variables that they don't control for or that we don't even know about. On top of that some of those studies are paid for by organisations that have interests. Nutrition is nothing but junk science.

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