Reducing dietary saturated fats does not reduce cardiovascular events and death. Improvements in cardiovascular outcomes are independent of direct cholesterol lowering.

Dietary trials that provide abundant natural fats such as α-linoleic acid, polyphenols and Ω-3 fatty acids found in nuts, olive oil, oily fish, and vegetables exert a positive health effect, likely by reducing inflammation, atherosclerosis, and thrombosis.

A meta-analysis including almost 10,000 patients confirmed that high intake of Ω-6 oils (from vegetable oils/margarines) increases the risk of death and heart disease compared to saturated fat plus trans-fat. Human research data suggest that we should remove these vegetable oils from our food supply for optimal health.

The carnivore diet has been praised to achieve stunning results in a very short period. What about it causes such change? It is said that the people who could benefit the most from an all-meat carnivore diet are those with some already existing autoimmune disorders, allergies, severe inflammatory diseases like arthritis, depression, or IBS. Going carnivore can be a very effective way of going through a short phase of healing the gut and regaining intestinal lining, which will help to deal with future exposures. In this article, we discuss why this diet has such big wins.

1. The Carnivore Diet Mimics Fasting

Protein is known to be very satiating, which fills you up and sends signals to your brain that you’ve consumed enough food. It follows that people report not feeling very hungry and start eating less frequently when they get onto an all-meat diet.

The monotony of eating the same thing every day may lead to a decrease in the amount of food you eat. This may result in unintentional caloric restriction. Caloric restriction sets off a number of processes. When caloric intake drops, the concentration of insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and growth hormone are significantly reduced. This condition triggers autophagy, which literally means “self-eating”—an internal process of cleaning up old cells and repairing damaged ones. Autophagy is also induced during fasting.

This may be why caloric restrictions so effective at reducing inflammation and alleviating symptoms of autoimmune disease. Naturally, the caloric restriction also results in weight loss. These are arguably the main reasons that people seem to be drawn to the carnivore diet. It is important to note that these effects can also be achieved through simple caloric restriction.

2. The Carnivore Diet is the Best Way to Reverse Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is an energy overload problem, whereby your cells become unresponsive to insulin’s action. They refuse to convert more energy into the cells and thus insulin levels remain persistently high. Insulin resistance is related to almost every chronic disease.

The carnivore diet is the most effective way to reverse insulin resistance because:

• It cuts out the highly glycemic carbohydrates which power your body off of ketones and increases insulin sensitivity.
• Cutting off of fructose also increases insulin sensitivity.
• Certain plant antinutrients like lectins can bind to insulin receptors and make you more insulin resistant. Eliminating plants from your diet eradicates this issue.
• The intermittent fasting that often accompanies the carnivore diet also increases insulin sensitivity. 

3. It Is a Low-Residue Diet

Residue can be defined as the undigested food that makes up stool. A low-residue diet is one that limits high-fiber foods like whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. It is often prescribed for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) to alleviate symptoms like diarrhea, bloating gas, and abdominal pain.

Meat is made primarily of protein and fat, which are absorbed high up in the GI tract, leaving little residue leftover to irritate or inflame the gut. In other words, an all-meat diet is effectively a very low-residue diet and gives the gut a rest.

4. It is an elimination diet

The carnivore diet works like an intense elimination diet – you eliminate all the potential foods and allergens from your diet that may potentially be causing some gastrointestinal stress, weight gain, brain fog, autoimmune disorders or bloating.

By removing all the “danger foods”, you allow your body to take a break from the chronic bouts of nutritional inflammation and that allows you to function more optimally. If you’re not putting in inflammatory stuff into your gut, then your body has the opportunity to start healing itself.

Constantly consuming processed foods, trans fats, allergens, and environmental toxins damage the intestinal lining of your gut wall, which eventually leads to intestinal permeability or leaky gut. This may lead to undigested food particles entering the bloodstream. This condition promotes brain fog, GI disorders, and more inflammation.

According to the father of modern medicine Hippocrates “All disease begins in the gut”. Your gut can be referred to as the second brain as it connects the nervous system and brain with the rest of the body. As the majority of your immune system is located in the gut, keeping it gut health is essential for overall longevity.

The elimination diet reduces some foods and environmental stressors that could potentially damage the gut and cause inflammatory responses. We will look at the most common ones:

• Gluten and grains are responsible most for leaky gut, arthritis, bloating, IBS, brain fog, diabetes, and weight gain. Avoid bread, pasta, cereal, pastries, oatmeal, cookies, etc.
• Legumes and beans can lead to intestinal permeability by promoting digestive issues and bloating. Peanuts and soybeans are also categorized as legumes.
• Nightshade vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, potatoes, and peppers have a lot of lectins which are compounds that attach sugar molecules to proteins and damage the gut walls again…
• Eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, and seeds aren’t unhealthy foods quite the opposite but they may cause some allergic reactions in some people
• Dairy is a potential allergen and it’s also pro-inflammatory that tends to promote skin disorders, weight gain, and inflammation. Avoid commercial pasteurized milk and limit your cheese consumption.

5. The Carnivore Diet can get you into ketosis

If you’re eating large amounts of meat but are only eating once or twice a day and adding extra fat to the meat, your diet is likely ketogenic. A ketogenic diet is a high-fat, moderate-protein diet.

While the carnivore diet does not have strict ratios, it’s likely that some of the benefits that come with eating meat alone are due to the body being in a state of ketosis.

Ketosis has been known to be helpful in conditions including multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s.

5. The Carnivore Diet Changes the Gut Microbiota

Changing to an all-meat diet can also swiftly alter the gut microbiota. A 2014 study found that putting healthy human volunteers on an animal-based diet resulted in significant changes to the gut microbiota in less than 48 hours. The animal-based diet increased the abundance of bile-tolerant organisms and decreased the levels of microbes known to metabolize different plant fibers.

The gut microbiota has been linked to virtually every chronic inflammatory disease that has been studied, so it’s no surprise that an intervention that drastically changes the gut microbiota could have significant implications for health.

6. Happy tummy, happy life

Once you get your digestion in order, your entire life will change as you’ll be able to liberate yourself from the chronic inflammation most people are suffering from.

All disease does begin in the gut and to get better you need to allow your body to self-repair and self-renovate itself.

An all meat carnivore diet can work as a short-term fix for promoting intestinal rebuilding but you’d be much better off by still eating at least some plants, vegetables, and different hormetic foods. The best remedy would be a fasting-focused lifestyle that revolves around periods of eating and fasting. This is sure to promote general health, longevity, and keep inflammation in check.

Much remains to be discovered about how eating meat only impacts our health. However, if you’re struggling with autoimmune diseases, obesity, diabetes or psychiatric issues, it is definitely worth a try. Going on a carnivore diet as a short-term experiment is sensible and safe.

References

1. Simland (2018): Why Does the Carnivore Diet Work. Retrieved from http://siimland.com/why-does-the-carnivore-diet-work/

2. Carnivore Aurelius(2019): Carnivore Diet | 16 Reasons It Works. Retrieved from https://carnivoreaurelius.com/carnivore-diet/

3. Chris Kessler (2019): The Carnivore Diet: Is It Really Healthy? Retrieved from https://chriskresser.com/the-carnivore-diet-is-it-really-healthy/

4. Nutrita (2019): The Ultimate Guide to the Carnivore Diet. Retrieved from https://nutrita.app/guide-to-the-carnivore-diet/

In the last decade, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding saturated fats. In case the news hasn’t caught up with you, scientists are rethinking the bad label attached to saturated fats. Well, this does not dispel the negative vibe attached to fatty meat and cheese but it seeks to clarify some broad generalizations that have been misleading.

For starters, saturated fats are not a single nutrient but a varied group of fatty acids that have different effects on the body. This means that while some saturated fats may be downright unhealthy for you, others are not and may even offer some health benefits.

This article examines 10 most common saturated fats, their health effects and where they are derived from.

What are Saturated Fats?

Fats can be divided into two broad categories: Saturated and unsaturated fats. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature while unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. This is the most general way to differentiate the two groups. For a long time, it has been believed that saturated fats are unhealthy while unsaturated fats are healthy. This is why the advice has always been to opt for liquid oils such as canola, safflower or sunflower oil which are unsaturated oils and not coconut or palm oils which are saturated.

Examples of saturated fats include fatty meat, lard, tallow, cheese, cream, coconut oil, palm oil, and cocoa butter. All fats are made up of fatty acids. There are a number of saturated fats which can be distinguished by the length of their carbon chains. Here is an example of how this looks like:

Saturated fatty acid	Number of carbon atoms
Stearic acid	18
Palmitic acid	16
Myristic acid	14
Lauric acid:	12
Capric acid:	10
Caproic acid	10

Saturated fats can either be a short-chain, medium-chain or long-chain fatty acids. Those with less than six carbon atoms are referred to as short-chain while those with more are referred to as long-chain fatty acids. Short-chain fatty acids are produced in the gut through the fermentation process. They may also be found in some fermented foods. Long-chain fatty acids are like the ones mentioned above which are found in dietary sources: stearic acid, palmitic acid, myristic acid, and lauric acid.

Do Saturated Fats Make Us Sick?

As mentioned above, saturated fats were slowly becoming taboo in health circles. As cardiovascular diseases took over a large chunk of the modern burden of disease saturated fats were pushed to the sidelines as a strong risk factor. People switched to the heart-friendly mono and polyunsaturated fats as they abandoned saturated fatty acids.

However, recent research has disputed the earlier beliefs that saturated fats are not the main cause of cardiovascular diseases. This has not ruled out the fact that there is a link between the two. However, the exact role they play is still being debated. Also, it has emerged that not all saturated fats are created equal and hence some may be beneficial for your health.

For this reason, we shall examine 10 different types of saturated fats and what they have to offer or take away.

Stearic acid

Stearic acid is a common saturated fatty acid with 18 carbon atoms. It is a major component of various animal and plant fats as well as cocoa butter. Research has shown that it may lower bad cholesterol levels or have no effect. The body converts some of the stearic acids into oleic acid which is a healthy unsaturated fat. This means that as compared to some saturated fats that are bad for the heart, stearic acid may be a safer option. It appears that stearic acid has neutral effects on the lipid profile. The main dietary sources of stearic acid are animal fat, coconut oil, cocoa butter, and palm kernel oil.

Palmitic acid

Palmitic acid is the most common saturated fat in plants and animals and it makes up over 50% of the total amount of saturated fat consumed in the US. Palmitic acid is mostly found in palm oil, it can also be found in red meat. It raises bad cholesterol levels and has no effect on good cholesterol levels. This means that it may predispose one to the risk of cardiovascular disease. Palmitic acid has also been associated with low moods and motivation to engage in physical activities. Lastly, palmitic acid has been associated with weight gain.  Consuming linoleic acid together with palmitic acid can help to offset some of the negative effects of palmitic acid. Linoleic acid is unsaturated fat.

Myristic acid

Myristic acid raises total cholesterol levels as well as bad cholesterols levels. This means that it most likely increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Myristic acid is a rare fatty acid but can be found in coconut oil as well as palm kernel oil.

Lauric acid

Lauric acid has 1 carbon atoms. It increases good cholesterol levels as well as total cholesterol levels. This means that it reduces the amount of total cholesterol relative to HDL cholesterol. A study published in NCBI in 1996 concluded that “Lauric acid raises total cholesterol concentrations more than palmitic acid, which is partly due to a stronger rise in HDL cholesterol.”This means that lauric acid could be beneficial for heart health.

Caproic, caprylic, and capric acid

The above fatty acids are abundant in goat milk; Capra actually means “female goat” in Latin. In case you have heard of the benefits of goat milk it has to do with these fatty acids. These medium chains (having less than 12 carbon atoms) fatty acids are easily absorbed by the body and rapidly metabolized. They aid in weight loss, increase insulin sensitivity as well as offer anti-seizure benefits. Consequently, these fatty acids are commonly sold as supplements which consist primarily of capric acid and caprylic acid.

Short-chain fatty acids

Short-chain fatty acids contain fewer than six carbon atoms. They include butyric acid, propionic acid, and acetic acid. They are created through a fermentation process of fiber in the gut. They may be found in small amounts in dairy fat and some fermented foods. These are usually beneficial fatty acids.

Are Saturated Fats Good For You?

The jury is still out on this. Recent science is refuting earlier evidence that saturated fats are solely responsible for atherosclerosis. But given the above facts, it is clear that some types of saturated fats are either neutral or have some beneficial effects on the heart.  However, it is advisable to consume saturated fats in moderate proportions. Switching to more of unsaturated fats would be ideal in most situations because they offer more benefits and fewer risks.

References

1.   NCBI (2010): Cardiovascular disease risk of dietary stearic acid compared with trans, other saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids: a systematic review. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19939984

2.  NCBI (2010): Cardiovascular disease risk of dietary stearic acid compared with trans, other saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids: a systematic review. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19939984

3.  NCBI (1994): Impact of myristic acid versus palmitic acid on serum lipid and lipoprotein levels in healthy women and men. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8148355

4.  NCBI (1996): Comparison of the effects of diets enriched in lauric, palmitic, or oleic acids on serum lipids and lipoproteins in healthy women and men. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8644684

5.  NCBI (2016): Intestinal Short Chain Fatty Acids and their Link with Diet and Human Health. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26925050