12-29-2014, 05:36 PM
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...elusive dreamer
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 5,945
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USDA Nutritionist Condemns Coconut Oil
This USDA nutritionist condemns coconut oil in 2014!
Quote:
So I was curious this week when I saw the title of an article come across my news feed with this title: �Is coconut oil good for you?� I thought to myself, who is still asking that question??
I clicked on it to find out. The article was posted in the �Ask the Expert� section of Tufts Now, a Tufts University publication. It was written by �Alice H. Lichtenstein, Gershoff Professor of Nutrition Science and Policy at the Friedman School.� Here is what she wrote about coconut oil:
There is no consistent body of data that I am aware of to indicate that coconut oil has documented specific beneficial effects; hence, there is no data that I�m aware of to suggest people should go out of their way to consume coconut oil. There is some data, however, to suggest it is best to avoid consuming coconut oil because it is relatively high in saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids raise LDL cholesterol, which is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. (Source.)
Now this is a curious statement, because it is representative of what mainstream was thinking over a decade ago. But it is extremely rare to read this kind of statement today in 2014. The evidence against the �saturated fat is bad� theory of heart disease has been so convincingly proven false by the publication of huge meta-studies in the past few years, that even the mainstream media has for the most part abandoned this position (See for example: Time Magazine: We Were Wrong About Saturated Fats.)
As to the �no data that I�m aware of� claim by Dr. Lichtenstein, is she claiming she never came across any of the dozens of peer-reviewed studies, some quite old, that are referenced at CoconutOil.com?
Some of those studies are epidemiological studies looking at tropical cultures who traditionally have consumed diets very high in saturated fat, and yet had fewer occurrences of heart disease than modern western cultures who have followed a low-fat dietary principle for close to 50 years. I observed the same phenomenon happening during the years I lived in the rural Philippines.
Regarding the statements on saturated fat raising cholesterol �which is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease,� several meta-analysis studies published the past few years show that this is simply not true. Here are a few of them:
Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010
Dietary Fats and Health: Dietary Recommendations in the Context of Scientific Evidence, Advances in Nutrition, 2013
Association of Dietary, Circulating, and Supplement Fatty Acids With Coronary Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, Annals of Internal Medicine, 2014
Even the claim that coconut oil raises LDL cholesterol is not a claim that represents the scientific literature today. (See: Coconut Oil is Beneficial for Your Heart: Shining the Truth on Mainstream Media�s Negative Attacks Against Coconut Oil)
As one can clearly see from reading Dr. Lichtenstein�s article on coconut oil, she provided no links or footnotes to back up her statements. It was strictly an appeal to authority: �I�m the expert � trust me.�
So why would she make such outdated statements regarding coconut oil? Could it be she is not familiar with this more recent body of research?
No. As a PhD nutritionist teaching nutrition at a major university, she would certainly be familiar with these recent studies published in trade journals that are in her field of expertise.
So I decided to do a bit of research on Dr. Lichtenstein to see what possible motives she might have that would bias her against coconut oil.
Her profile page at Tufts university is a good place to start, because it would give us clues as to where she might be receiving government funding by way of grants that could influence her research preferences. Here is what her profile page states:
- See more at: https://healthimpactnews.com/2014/usd....eJ8vwhrD.dpuf
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