Journal of Cardiology , 2003. The investigators found that the death rate among three groups of patients—one taking Lipitor (a very strong cholesterol-lowering drug), one taking other cholesterol-lowering drugs, and one taking nothing—was identical.
Myth #3: High-Fat Foods Increase Blood Cholesterol
A key concept behind the lipid hypothesis is that cholesterol levels vary in different people because they eat different foods. This notion rests on the assumption that the levels of cholesterol in the blood are high in people who eat large amounts of food high in fats, especially animal fats.
Again, however, the results of a great deal of research completely oppose this idea.
Framingham: No Connection
During the early stages of the Framingham study, in the 1950s, researchers asked nearly 1,000 people about their eating habits. They found no connection at all between the food they ate and their cholesterol levels. The authors of the study noted that, although there was “a considerable range” of blood cholesterol levels among the participants, whatever might explain this variation, it was “not the diet.”
We don’t know why, but this part of the Framingham study was never published.
Tecumseh: No Connection
A study similar to the Framingham study was carried out in the small town of Tecumseh, Michigan, by researchers from the University of Michigan and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , 1976. They asked over 2,000 people about the food they ate during a 24-hour period, as well as about the ingredients in the food.
The study subjects were then divided into three cholesterol-level groups: high, middle, and low.
The results: there was no difference between the amounts that the three groups ate of any particular food item. What’s more, the low-cholesterol group ate just as much saturated fat as did the high-cholesterol group.
British Bank Tellers: No Connection
In a report published in the British Medical Journal , 1963, researchers asked 99 middle-aged male bank employees in London to weigh and record everything they ate over a two-week period. Once more, the results showed no connection between what they ate and their cholesterol levels.
Just in case they had made an error, the researchers asked 76 of the tellers to do the whole procedure again for a week, at a different time of year: same results.
And finally, to be absolutely certain, the researchers reanalyzed the data from the men whose records were particularly detailed and accurate. Same result as before: no connection.
Israeli Civil Servants: No Connection
In a study published in the Israel Journal of Medical Sciences , 1969, researchers in Jerusalem studied the diets and blood cholesterol levels of 10,000 Israeli civil servants. These people came from many different backgrounds—Israel itself, Eastern, Southern, and Central Europe, Asia, and Africa—so their eating habits varied considerably. The amount of animal fat they ate ranged from 10 grams a day to 200, and their cholesterol levels ranged from high to low.
The researchers examined whether all the data from this extremely varied group of people indicated some kind of relationship between animal fat and blood cholesterol level, but they found nothing.
They saw very low levels of cholesterol both in people who ate small amounts of animal fat and in those who ate the most animal fat.
At the same time, they found high cholesterol in people who ate high, medium, and low amounts of animal fat.
Just to make sure, the researchers did a smaller study of 62 people using a method similar to that used in the British bank tellers study: they conducted a survey over several days and at different times of year, a method that gives the most accurate results. Nevertheless, they still found absolutely no correlation between the amount of animal fat consumed and blood cholesterol levels.
High-Fat Diet—Good Cholesterol
In a study published in the Journal of the American
Myth #3: High-Fat Foods Increase Blood Cholesterol
A key concept behind the lipid hypothesis is that cholesterol levels vary in different people because they eat different foods. This notion rests on the assumption that the levels of cholesterol in the blood are high in people who eat large amounts of food high in fats, especially animal fats.
Again, however, the results of a great deal of research completely oppose this idea.
Framingham: No Connection
During the early stages of the Framingham study, in the 1950s, researchers asked nearly 1,000 people about their eating habits. They found no connection at all between the food they ate and their cholesterol levels. The authors of the study noted that, although there was “a considerable range” of blood cholesterol levels among the participants, whatever might explain this variation, it was “not the diet.”
We don’t know why, but this part of the Framingham study was never published.
Tecumseh: No Connection
A study similar to the Framingham study was carried out in the small town of Tecumseh, Michigan, by researchers from the University of Michigan and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition , 1976. They asked over 2,000 people about the food they ate during a 24-hour period, as well as about the ingredients in the food.
The study subjects were then divided into three cholesterol-level groups: high, middle, and low.
The results: there was no difference between the amounts that the three groups ate of any particular food item. What’s more, the low-cholesterol group ate just as much saturated fat as did the high-cholesterol group.
British Bank Tellers: No Connection
In a report published in the British Medical Journal , 1963, researchers asked 99 middle-aged male bank employees in London to weigh and record everything they ate over a two-week period. Once more, the results showed no connection between what they ate and their cholesterol levels.
Just in case they had made an error, the researchers asked 76 of the tellers to do the whole procedure again for a week, at a different time of year: same results.
And finally, to be absolutely certain, the researchers reanalyzed the data from the men whose records were particularly detailed and accurate. Same result as before: no connection.
Israeli Civil Servants: No Connection
In a study published in the Israel Journal of Medical Sciences , 1969, researchers in Jerusalem studied the diets and blood cholesterol levels of 10,000 Israeli civil servants. These people came from many different backgrounds—Israel itself, Eastern, Southern, and Central Europe, Asia, and Africa—so their eating habits varied considerably. The amount of animal fat they ate ranged from 10 grams a day to 200, and their cholesterol levels ranged from high to low.
The researchers examined whether all the data from this extremely varied group of people indicated some kind of relationship between animal fat and blood cholesterol level, but they found nothing.
They saw very low levels of cholesterol both in people who ate small amounts of animal fat and in those who ate the most animal fat.
At the same time, they found high cholesterol in people who ate high, medium, and low amounts of animal fat.
Just to make sure, the researchers did a smaller study of 62 people using a method similar to that used in the British bank tellers study: they conducted a survey over several days and at different times of year, a method that gives the most accurate results. Nevertheless, they still found absolutely no correlation between the amount of animal fat consumed and blood cholesterol levels.
High-Fat Diet—Good Cholesterol
In a study published in the Journal of the American
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