We’ll never learn….

…or at least the so-called experts never learn.  We continue to be surprised by the number of people who tell us they’ve stopped eating meat for health reasons.  Wooz still tries to set the record straight; I’ve given up.

And these same people, and for health reasons, will go vegetarian, vegan or eat diet foods containing chemicals guaranteed to poison!

We’re reminded of that by a blurb in Kit Pharo’s recent newsletter.

Imagine you’ve got a group of men who’ve survived a heart attack.  They agree to participate in a four-year-long experiment where they’re placed onto one of two diets: Diet One is a “Mediterranean Diet” high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, and poultry, along with cholesterol-rich red meat and full-fat dairy products; Diet Two is the “Prudent Diet” recommended by the American Heart Association (and, not coincidentally, by most physicians), focusing on restricting saturated fat intake. What result might you expect?

Turns out… that the men restricting their cholesterol and saturated fat intake had a greater than 50 percent higher rate of fatal heart attacks and 70 percent more cardiac events!  And the total cholesterol, LDL, and HDL levels of both groups were almost identical. 

Perhaps even more interesting is that despite the fact that this research was published in Circulation* (the American Heart Association journal, no less!) over a decade ago.  We are still being told to restrict our intake of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat!

* Michel de Lorgeril, et al., Mediterranean Diet.

By coincidence, not long ago we visited a friend in the hospital  who was recovering from a heart attack.  As we came in he was watching a video, required viewing for all heart patients in the hospital, that gave the same discredited warnings about meat and fat, complete with the late and unlamented food pyramid.

Do not waste your time trying to educate a scientist!