Can I Have Butter Again?

Several popular fad diets are spreading the idea that saturated fats are not harmful and butter is a perfectly fine food to be included in your diet every day, if not every meal.

Is this a good idea? In a word, no! The idea that saturated fats are harmless is not based on solid nutrition research.

The nutrition literature has always shown, and continues to show, that saturated fat increases risk of heart disease and stroke, especially when compared to other more healthy options.

For example, in a large well designed cohort study out of Harvard that included over 125,000 men and women, replacing saturated fat with either polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat or whole grains significantly reduce risk of heart disease (Reference 1).

In conclusion, don’t believe the hype. Vegetable sources of fat such as olive oil, canola oil, nuts, nut butters and avocados are a much healthier choice than butter.

References

1) Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2015 66:1538-48

Mediterranean Diet And Mortality

The Study

The research literature consistently shows that the Mediterranean diet is the most effective diet for reducing risk of chronic disease. In this interesting study, 25,315 women from the Women’s Health Study had their diet measured and were watched for 25 years.

Subjects following a Mediterranean diet had an 11% lower risk of dying from any cause when compared to subjects not following a Mediterranean diet.

JAMA Network Open. 2024;7(5):e2414322

Take Home Message

The fact that the Mediterranean diet reduced mortality in this investigation is really not a surprise, many studies have shown this. What makes this study special is that the researchers took 33 biomarkers from each subject at baseline in order to get some insight into just why this diet is so effective at reducing disease.

The biomarkers that were most different for those strictly following a Mediterranean diet showed a reduced insulin resistance, body mass index, triglycerides and inflammatory markers. These are likely the ways that a Mediterranean diet offers protection from chronic disease. 

A Mediterranean diet is high in fruits, vegetable, legumes, whole grains, poultry, seafood and nuts and low in refined carbs, sugar, red meat and processed meats. This is a great way to eat for your health.

 

Can Statins Prevent Cancer?

The Study

Chronic inflammation is known to be a major cause of cancer. A groundbreaking study out of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston was recently published that used both an animal model and an epidemiological study to show that statin drugs may block this inflammation and reduce the risk of developing cancer.

-In mice, a statin drug called Pitavastatin suppressed externally caused inflammation in the skin and pancreas and prevented inflammation dependent cancers.

-In humans, subjects taking Pitavastatin had a statistically significant reduced risk of pancreatic cancer. 

doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-48441-8

Take Home Message

Tens of millions of Americans are taking statins to lower their cholesterol and reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke. A surprising and beneficial side effect of these meds may be that they help reduce the risk of cancer. More research is needed here, but this is exciting news.