Consider the source

Two weeks ago I sent you an e-Alert (“Greasing the Skids” 9/9/02) about the dangers of trans-fatty acids (TFA) in cooking oil – particularly the types of cooking oil used by fast food restaurants. Coincidentally, that same day an article appeared in the Wall St. Journal about TFA. Here’s an email I received from an HSI member named Frank about the WSJ article:

“Could you respond to Steven Milloy’s article in the Sept. 9 issue of the ‘Wall Street Journal’ (‘McJunk Science’)? Briefly, he says that the available evidence really doesn’t substantiate the claim that trans-fatty acids raise the risk of heart disease in humans. He further states that, ‘none of the six studies of human populations consuming trans fats come close to linking them with heart disease.'”

To answer Frank’s question I would say: “Consider the source.”

Steven J. Milloy is an author and a former lobbyist for Phillip Morris Tobacco Company. He has a background in natural science and biostatistics, and in recent years has earned a firebrand reputation for debunking what he calls “junk science.” And although I find that I agree with him on some points (for instance: elevated cholesterol doesn’t necessarily lead to heart disease), other information I’ve read forces me to take issue with his opinion on trans-fatty acids.

Following the logic of considering the source, I would rather get my TFA information from someone more like Mary G. Enig, Ph.D, a widely respected nutritionist with a specialty in the nutritional aspects of fats and oils, a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition, and a member of the American Institute of Nutrition. In a decade of research, Dr. Enig has shown that trans-fatty acids consumption results in a number of adverse health effects, including heart disease, obesity, diabetes and even cancer.

Commenting on one of those “six studies in human populations” that he dismissed, Mr. Milloy had this to say about a well-known Harvard study: “My favoritestudy that fails to link trans fats with heart disease – one involving 90,000 nurses followed for 20 years – also fails to link total fat intake, saturated-fat intake, animal-fat intake and cholesterol intake with heart disease.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Enig says that the Harvard study clearly showed that subjects who developed heart disease had a significantly higher intake of TFA than subjects who never developed heart disease.

So we have a classic “he said – she said.” Consider the sources and make your own call.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute