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Veggie oil doesn’t cut heart disease risk

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Ceramic <em>Butter</em> Dish in Red Further to Scientists, data, and diet, from ScienceDaily:

Butter might not be a health food, but researchers unearthed more evidence that replacing it with vegetable oils does not decrease risk of heart disease

A research team led by scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health has unearthed more evidence that casts doubt on the traditional “heart healthy” practice of replacing butter and other saturated fats with corn oil and other vegetable oils high in linoleic acid.

The findings, reported today in the British Medical Journal, suggest that using vegetable oils high in linoleic acid might be worse than using butter when it comes to preventing heart disease, though more research needs to be done on that front. This latest evidence comes from an analysis of previously unpublished data of a large controlled trial conducted in Minnesota nearly 50 years ago, as well as a broader analysis of published data from all similar trials of this dietary intervention.

The analyses show that interventions using linoleic acid-rich oils failed to reduce heart disease and overall mortality even though the intervention reduced cholesterol levels. In the Minnesota study, participants who had greater reduction in serum cholesterol had higher rather than lower risk of death.

“Altogether, this research leads us to conclude that incomplete publication of important data has contributed to the overestimation of benefits — and the underestimation of potential risks — of replacing saturated fat with vegetable oils rich in linoleic acid,” said co-first author Daisy Zamora, PhD, a researcher in the Department of Psychiatry at the UNC School of Medicine. More. Paper. (public access)

Yes, the famous file drawer problem. The cabinet tells no tales.

File:A small cup of coffee.JPG Who knows? Maybe they’ll rehabilitate lard some day. Then one can go back to making really thin, crisp fresh fruit pie crusts the way they are supposed to be made.

See also: Salt? We thought one needed to do more to be a denialist

and

The skinny on Whole Foods

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