Why Low-fat Diets harmful?

Low-fat diets saw a real upswing in 1977. But according to research published in the Open Heart journal, there was no scientific basis for the recommendations to cut fat from our diet in the first place. What is worse, the processed food industry replaced fat with large amounts of sugar (fructose). And this has led to a massive increase in obesity, diabetes, heart disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. This is because unlike glucose, which can be used by virtually every cell in our body, fructose can only be metabolized by liver. Since nearly all fructose get shuttled to liver, it ends up taxing and damaging our liver in the same way alcohol and other toxins do.

As the cholesterol hypothesis (we should not eat foods with high cholesterol content) is false, this also means that the recommended therapies—low-fat, low-cholesterol diet and cholesterol lowering medications—are doing more harm than good. Statin (a cholesterol-lowering drug) treatment, for example, is largely harmful, costly and has transformed millions of people into patients whose health is being adversely impacted by the drug.

Part of the reason why cholesterol-lowering drugs are ineffective for heart disease prevention is that drugs cannot address the real cause of heart disease, which is insulin and leptin resistance, which in turn increase our LDL particle number. While some genetic predisposition can play a role, insulin and leptin resistance is primarily caused by a combination of factors that are epidemic in our modern lifestyle:

·         A diet high in processed and refined carbohydrates, sugars/fructose, refined flours and industrial seed oils.

·         Insufficient everyday physical activity. Chronic sitting is also an independent risk factor that causes biochemical changes that predispose us to insulin and leptin resistance, even if we are very fit and exercise regularly.

·         Chronic sleep deprivation. Studies have shown that even one night of disturbed sleep can decrease our insulin sensitivity the next day and cause cravings and overeating.

          Environmental toxins. Exposure to BPA, for example, can disrupt weight regulation.

·         Poor gut health. Studies indicate that imbalances in our gut flora (the bacteria that live in our gut) can predispose us to obesity and insulin and leptin resistance. Processed foods high in sugar effectively feed harmful bacteria, allowing them to take over.

Overall, a healthy diet is foundation for optimal health.