Dairy fat again shown to be your heart’s best friend

Saturated fat has long been the demon of the dairy world.

By now, even the mere mention of it can make visions of clogged arteries and deadly heart disease dance in your head!

For decades, mainstream experts have been shaking their fingers at us and warning of the risk that comes with butter, whole milk, and cheese.

But as we’ve told you right here in the eAlert, there’s plenty of research proving a fear of dairy fat makes about as much sense as expecting to see a real live purple cow!

And now, a new study has just been released that should shake things up even more and have you pouring every last drop of skim milk down the drain.

Bring back the butter!

The biggest surprise to come out of this new study, one done by researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center along with Tufts University, may have been the actual release of the findings.

I mean, it takes a lot of courage these days for an academic institution to issue a press release saying not only that dairy fat does not “increase the risk of heart disease” and death in seniors, but that “certain types” of fatty acids it contains can help to guard against a deadly stroke!

That’s right — full-fat dairy products are actually good for your heart health.

Instead of the typical way dietary studies are conducted — by asking participants to recall what they ate — this research used actual measurements of fatty acids in the blood. And the findings are a real slap in the face to groups such as the American Heart Association, which still insists that eating butter is as dangerous as going over Niagara Falls in a barrel!

Close to 3,000 seniors, all 65 and older, took part in the 22-year study, which began in 1992. They were all given multiple blood tests to check for levels of three different fatty acids that come from dairy.

And not only did the results show a positive correlation between dairy fat and heart health, but one kind of fatty acid was actually associated with a lower risk of heart disease.

The buttercream icing on the cake, however, was the fact that those in the study who tested highest for levels of these fatty acids in their blood were actually shown to have more than a 40 percent lower risk of dying from a stroke.

These findings, noted Texas Health Science researcher Marcia Otto, showed the “need to revisit current dietary guidance on whole fat dairy foods.”

Well, good luck with that, Dr. Otto!

At this point, it would be hard to imagine the feds changing a single brick in their long-standing food pyramid.

The discovery that these forbidden foods turn out to be healthy (and that low-fat ones are dangerous), is actually nothing new… but really just further confirmation of what prior research has uncovered.

For example, last year I told you about the findings from a big study out of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, showing that consuming three or more servings of low-fat dairy a day resulted in a whopping 34 percent increased risk of Parkinson’s disease. The study found no such association with full-fat dairy products.

And some of the reasons why butter and other whole-milk products, such as yogurt, can confer these health benefits are already known.

For one thing, taking the fat out also removes healthy compounds such as oleic acid (a good fat also found in olive oil) and conjugated linoleic acid that’s known to lower the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Then, as experts have warned, the small amount of fat left behind in skim milk can become oxidized, making it the most dangerous kind of all when it comes to your heart health.

I think we know quite enough already to say it’s time to put butter back on your menu, if you haven’t already done so. And if you enjoy yogurt, make it the whole-milk kind.

But whatever you do, banish those low-fat dairy products and skim milk from your kitchen for good! As Dr. Otto said, it’s time to make food choices “based on scientific fact rather than hearsay.”

“Study: No, enjoying that full-fat ice cream won’t kill you” Adam Hermann, July 12, 2018, Philly Voice, phillyvoice.com