Progressive nutritional scientists recognize that total dietary saturated fat intake has little health effect or relevance as a target. Does that make red meat OK?
Unfortunately in this "medicine by algorithm" world we now live in, real critical thinking is often missing. In the 80s because of this misguided SFA notion, we added spoons of corn oil or safflower oil - polyunsaturated to try to "correct the SFA:PUFA ratio" All that did was add unnecessary calories, make patients heavier and push them towards what was called "Syndrome X", now known as the Metabolic Syndrome. Dietary and medication recommendations are controlled by biased interests with very well paid lobbies. No one should be told to follow a low fat - high CHO diet! Everyone does not need statins! Incorporate checking fasting insulin levels with the fasting blood sugars as part of preventative testing. Recognize insulin resistance early and work to correct it. Incorporate fish oils. Control inflammation. Will the lesson ever be learned?
Very thankful to you for taking the time to write articles such as this one. I have been particularly confused by this topic, and it's good to get a look at the complexities and nuances involved.
Are there other reasons to eliminate or reduce meat consumption?
There is no reasons to eliminate meat consumption. However, there is a reason to reduce meat consumption - the arachidonic acid content. Excerpt from page 2 of the Introduction to a 1996 Symposium entitled "Biological effects of dietary arachidonic acid".
"Excessive signaling of AA metabolites has been associated with various chronic degenerative or autoimmune diseases, and intervention with the metabolism of AA is widely employed therapeutically in these afflictions. In essence, AA is the most biologically active unsaturated fatty acid in higher animals. Its concentration in membranes and its magnitude of effects depend on its amount, or that of its precursors and analogues, in the diet. The tendency of the field of nutrition to ignore the role of dietary AA will optimistically be reversed in the future." https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/126/suppl_4/1076S/4724762?login=false
26 years have elapsed and the fields of nutrition and medicine have yet to begin to pay attention to arachidonic acid research. If one Googles 'arachidonic acid metabolic syndrome', a 2018 article comes up that says. "Lipid and immune pathways are crucial in the pathophysiology of metabolic and cardiovascular disease. Arachidonic acid (AA) and its derivatives link nutrient metabolism to immunity and inflammation, thus holding a key role in the emergence and progression of frequent diseases such as obesity, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease."
Norwegian animal science researchers have known for years that the arachidonic acid content of monogastrics fed up on grains is problematic for human health. Excerpt: "Chicken meat with reduced concentration of arachidonic acid (AA) and reduced ratio between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids has potential health benefits because a reduction in AA intake dampens prostanoid signaling, and the proportion between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is too high in our diet." The researchers also noted that "the best strategy for dampening prostanoid overproduction in disease situations would be to reduce the intake of AA, or reduce the intake of AA at the same time as the total intake of competing fatty acids (including oleic acid) is enhanced, rather than enhancing intakes of EPA and DHA only. Enhancement of membrane concentrations of EPA and DHA will not be as efficient as a similar decrease in the AA concentration for avoiding prostanoid overproduction." https://lipidworld.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-511X-9-37
Unfortunately in this "medicine by algorithm" world we now live in, real critical thinking is often missing. In the 80s because of this misguided SFA notion, we added spoons of corn oil or safflower oil - polyunsaturated to try to "correct the SFA:PUFA ratio" All that did was add unnecessary calories, make patients heavier and push them towards what was called "Syndrome X", now known as the Metabolic Syndrome. Dietary and medication recommendations are controlled by biased interests with very well paid lobbies. No one should be told to follow a low fat - high CHO diet! Everyone does not need statins! Incorporate checking fasting insulin levels with the fasting blood sugars as part of preventative testing. Recognize insulin resistance early and work to correct it. Incorporate fish oils. Control inflammation. Will the lesson ever be learned?
Very thankful to you for taking the time to write articles such as this one. I have been particularly confused by this topic, and it's good to get a look at the complexities and nuances involved.
Excellent article, thank you!
Are there other reasons to eliminate or reduce meat consumption?
There is no reasons to eliminate meat consumption. However, there is a reason to reduce meat consumption - the arachidonic acid content. Excerpt from page 2 of the Introduction to a 1996 Symposium entitled "Biological effects of dietary arachidonic acid".
"Excessive signaling of AA metabolites has been associated with various chronic degenerative or autoimmune diseases, and intervention with the metabolism of AA is widely employed therapeutically in these afflictions. In essence, AA is the most biologically active unsaturated fatty acid in higher animals. Its concentration in membranes and its magnitude of effects depend on its amount, or that of its precursors and analogues, in the diet. The tendency of the field of nutrition to ignore the role of dietary AA will optimistically be reversed in the future." https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/126/suppl_4/1076S/4724762?login=false
26 years have elapsed and the fields of nutrition and medicine have yet to begin to pay attention to arachidonic acid research. If one Googles 'arachidonic acid metabolic syndrome', a 2018 article comes up that says. "Lipid and immune pathways are crucial in the pathophysiology of metabolic and cardiovascular disease. Arachidonic acid (AA) and its derivatives link nutrient metabolism to immunity and inflammation, thus holding a key role in the emergence and progression of frequent diseases such as obesity, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular disease."
Norwegian animal science researchers have known for years that the arachidonic acid content of monogastrics fed up on grains is problematic for human health. Excerpt: "Chicken meat with reduced concentration of arachidonic acid (AA) and reduced ratio between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids has potential health benefits because a reduction in AA intake dampens prostanoid signaling, and the proportion between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids is too high in our diet." The researchers also noted that "the best strategy for dampening prostanoid overproduction in disease situations would be to reduce the intake of AA, or reduce the intake of AA at the same time as the total intake of competing fatty acids (including oleic acid) is enhanced, rather than enhancing intakes of EPA and DHA only. Enhancement of membrane concentrations of EPA and DHA will not be as efficient as a similar decrease in the AA concentration for avoiding prostanoid overproduction." https://lipidworld.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1476-511X-9-37