The worst type of fat in everyone's diet

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The most important finding in relation to public health is that the type of fat in the diet is crucial. It has been discovered that all fats are not bad, contrary to previous beliefs. Total fat intake does not have a significant association with various outcomes. However, the most harmful type of fat in the diet is trans fat, which is considerably worse than saturated fat. Trans fat has been found to increase the risk of heart disease, adversely affect blood lipids by raising LDL and reducing HDL, increase inflammatory factors, and likely increase insulin resistance. It is evident that trans fat has multiple negative effects beyond its impact on blood lipids.

Episode #266. Learn the key pillars for a healthy diet from the world’s most cited nutrition scientist, Dr Walter Willett. In this two-hour exchange, Dr Willett shares the cornerstones of a healthy diet, providing the practical guidance you need to live a long, healthy life.

We discuss:

Introduction (00:00)
Which Foods Should You Eat to Stay Healthy? (04:10)
Does the Quality of Foods Matter? (06:39)
The Impact of the Average American Diet on Health (08:29)
Do We Have Sufficient Evidence on How Nutrition Impacts Our Health? (11:05)
Key Tasks/Leaves to Make Healthy Choices (14:03)
How Diet Patterns Have Changed from the 70s till Now (15:09)
Walter Willet: A Nutrition Story (18:20)
Ancel Keys' Research on Fat (19:40)
Three Large Observation Studies by Walter Willet and His Team (27:19)
Advantages of Large Observation Studies over Randomized Control Trials (32:45)
Correlation and Causation in Nutrition (39:15)
Food Frequency Questionnaire: Importance of Methods for Measuring Dietary Intake (50:58)
Biochemical Analysis in Three Cohort Observations of Walter Willet's Studies (55:18)
Are Low-Fat Diets Good for Cardiovascular Health? (1:00:37)
Polyunsaturated Fats and Cardiovascular Disease (1:02:21)
Benefits of Switching from Saturated Fat to Unsaturated Fats (1:08:31)
Is Dairy Bad or Good? (1:09:04)
Should You Consume Full-Fat or Low-Fat Dairy? (1:11:29)
Daily Recommendation for Dairy Consumption (1:16:03)
Can You Be Healthy Without Consuming Dairy? (1:20:42)
Confusion Surrounding Unprocessed Red Meat (1:23:00)
What is Substitution Analysis? (1:25:55)
Insights into the Research Process (1:27:45)
Contrast and Exposure in Research (1:29:33)
Safe Intake of Red Meat (1:33:02)
Is Grass-Fed Beef Good for Me? (1:33:51)
Is White Meat Better Than Red Meat? (1:35:57)
Fish vs. Legumes: A Comparison (1:36:37)
Dietary Cholesterol and Its Impact on Human Health (1:40:08)
The Best Diet for a Healthy Life (1:43:28)
Outro (1:52:01)

To learn more about Dr Walter Willett and read his studies, head to his Harvard Academic Profile. Dr Willett has also published four books; you can find his bestseller, Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating here.

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Enjoy, friends.

Simon

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Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons)

Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill

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