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The Dr. Hyman Show

Nina Teicholz on Butter, Meat and The Science and Politics of Nutrition

May 23, 2018
Leading science journalist Nina Teicholz discusses saturated fats, flawed nutrition research, limitations of weak observational data, shifting dietary guidelines, significance of meat for essential nutrients, regenerative agriculture, misconceptions about high-carbohydrate diets, dark history of vegetable oils, risks of using vegetable oils in fast food chains, use of lard and beef tallow for frying, failure of dietary guidelines in preventing disease.
01:17:41

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The influence of the vegetable oil industry and cognitive dissonance among scientists may explain the promotion of harmful vegetable oils as a healthy choice.
  • Meat consumption is not proven to be harmful when considering rigorous clinical trial data, and excluding meat from diets may have unintended consequences and lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Deep dives

The Influence of Procter & Gamble on Vegetable Oils

The vegetable oil industry emerged in the early 1900s, with Crisco being the first popular product. Procter & Gamble, one of the major players in the industry, promoted the use of vegetable oils as a healthy alternative to lard. However, vegetable oils were initially hydrogenated, resulting in the production of trans fats, which increase the risk of heart disease. Later, Procter & Gamble developed stable, fluid vegetable oils and convinced the American Heart Association to promote their use. This led to an increase in vegetable oil consumption, despite the harmful effects of trans fats. It wasn't until recently that the FDA finally banned trans fats after years of pressure. Additionally, vegetable oils in their liquid form are also unstable and prone to oxidation, which can lead to inflammation and heart disease. Studies have shown that diets high in vegetable oils are associated with higher rates of cancer. The influence of the vegetable oil industry and the cognitive dissonance among scientists who have long promoted these oils may explain the continued promotion of vegetable oils as a healthy choice.

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