Fat lies – don’t fall for them
The ‘fat is back’ brigade got a roasting in today’s Guardian “Butter nonsense: the rise of the cholesterol deniers”. This lot, not unlike flat earthers and climate change deniers, will not listen to the evidence and continue to peddle their scare-stories which scientists now say are costing lives. In a nutshell, they deny the links between saturated fat, cholesterol and heart disease. They say you can eat as much fat as you like and suffer no detrimental health effects – yes, it is nonsense. They also advise people to stop taking statins and unfortunately some people are listening to their bad science and dangerous advice.
We’ve covered this before in Viva! Health’s report Meat the Truth which revealed how every now and then a poorly researched study is published and makes the headlines. Then what usually happens is a conflict of interest is declared at a later date (the author had a book or a diet plan to sell), or corrections are published in a later edition. Too late – the damage is done.
Thankfully Public Health England will not be swayed and are sticking to their advice for people to cut down on fatty foods – especially those rich in saturated fat like meat and dairy foods. The easiest way to lower your risk of heart disease (and stroke) is to go vegan. Vegans tend to have the lowest cholesterol and blood pressure, but even vegetarians have a whopping 32 per cent lower risk of hospitalisation or death from heart disease than meat-eaters.
The risk of heart disease and stroke can be significantly reduced by a diet that provides more plant-based sources of protein compared with the typical Western diet. Put simply, ditching meat and dairy lowers your risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.
If you want to know more about going vegan, try our free 30 Day Vegan meal plan. You can start anytime and we’re here to help www.viva.org.uk/30dayvegan.
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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