Comments on the Fat Summit Day 3

Published 1.29.2016; updated 2.1.2016
Mark Hyman has a new book out extolling the virtues of his newest diet prescription, which he calls "Pegan." The made-up word pegan is a mash up of vegan and paleo. The pegan diet is mostly plant based, but includes meat as a condiment. I haven't read the book (which might not actually be out yet because when you search for the book on Amazon, nothing shows up— books about the "pegan" diet by others, but not Hyman), but the following are what I've gleaned from his conversations with others (at least those that I've listened to. As I've said before, I am listening to only select presentations. People like Vani Hari or Nian Teicholz aren't worth my time. I've already heard or read their spiels, and I'm not impressed.)

• Mark Hyman has swallowed the "high fat is great" bait hook, line, and sinker. At least when it comes to plant based fats. He's a bit more equivocal
• He desperately wants to believe that coconut oil is unquestionably healthy because he drinks "Bulletproof" coffee made with it.
• He likes meat, at least lean grass fed meat.
• He has knowledge of the research but not a functional understanding. By this I mean that he has clearly read the literature, but does not understand it well enough to respond when he analysis of it is challenged.
• He as a new book to sell: Eat Fat, Get Thin: Why the Fat We Eat Is the Key to Sustained Weight Loss and Vibrant Health

On day 3, I listened to his conversations with Joel Fuhrman MD and Walter Willett MD. I have read and reviewed Fuhrman's Eat to Live diet book. Willett is a researcher at Harvard who has studied fat of all kinds for decades. He was one of the first to realize just how bad transfats are for human health. And of course, he too has written a book on eating: Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating.I note again that what follows are observations I had while listening rather than detailed notes on what was said.

Joel Furhman

• Fuhrman's contribution to nutrition is the idea of nutrients per calorie. He teaches that the healthiest diet is one the maximizes this ratio, which means the diet consists of primarily plants.
• Claims that 50% of Americans' calories come from processed foods, and of that half, 30% is from animal products.
• His goal is longevity, so foods that he excludes (red meat and dairy) are those that he thinks shorten life spans.
• His view on fat has changed. Eat to Live was very low fat, but now his recommendation for fat intake is higher than many vegan doctors. However, that fat is to be mostly plant based, in other words, nuts and seeds.
• He still against saturated fat though, particularly if it comes from animals.
• He's not an oil fan because oil is refined and high calorie. He does use oil, but very sparingly.
• He says eat the coconut NOT the oil.
• Vegans who don’t get enough Omega 6 and Omega 3 (can be gotten from algae rather than fish) wind up with brain shrinkage. Studies have shown that some people's body can make it, but the bodies of two thirds of subjects could not. (Studies are referenced in these chats, but at least for those who listen for free, no citations are provided. It's possible that in the package you can purchase, that information is provided).
• He still promotes his G-BOMBS, which stands for greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds.
• He also says that avoiding walnuts as Esselstyn and Ornish suggest is needless, and also points out that not everyone responds to very low fat diet.

Walter C Willett

• Willett has an impressive CV.
• Says he grew up on a farm and knows that when you want to fatten up an animal you fill them with grain.
• The message here seems to be that a bit more fat makes the diet easier to adhere to. That's a long way from eating a bar of butter with your steak or morning coffee.
• I think the problem is that foosl hear the word “I can eat fat” and don’t want to admit that AMOUNT matters too.
• Willett insists that the type of fat matters. He's not on board with the saturated fat is harmless. He points out that in the studies that showed saturated fat improved health, they were replacing REFINED carbs with saturated fat. Maybe it wasn't that the saturated fat was healthy, maybe it was that eating less refined carbs was healthier.
• Willett thinks poly unsaturated fats are the healthiest and are correlated with better cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes.
• Says refined carbs and saturated fat are equal in terms of CVD
• Makes you though what would happen if refined carbs were replaced with UNrefined carbs. If refined carbs (in other words processed food) is to blame, then maybe all we need to do is remove the processing (refining).
• Willett notes that the Mediterranean diet is about 40% fat, but that Japan has good markers with low fat. What he seems to say that higher PLANT fat diets are healthier. He’s not saying load up on meat and butter.
• Hyman asks if olive oil can reduce the risk of TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide, the stuff they think makes red meat dangerous); Willet says it’s not known.
• Willett is not a fan of meta-studies, which he says are not usually done with the original data of the studies included. Without the full data, you can't really asses whether you're comparing apples and oranges.
• Eating a high fiber diet mitigates the effect of saturated fat, a finding that had to be published in the BMJ because US cardiologists were so against the idea.
• Willet does not blame the government solely for the fat confusion, he says the Heart Association and Cardiologists have hindered discovery as well.
• Transfats are bad. Really, really bad.

Disclaimer




Search this site for more: