Small Steps, Sensible Choices, Superior Health.

Are The Statistics
About Heart Disease True?

Most people believe the statistics about heart disease are accurate and true. Why would we doubt what the healthcare community tells us?  

• Do they really have our best interest at heart?
• Could any of this information be profit driven?
• It's quite possible, read on and you decide. 

The 20th century brought about many changes in the way we eat and most were not healthy choices.  The American diet has undergone more changes in the last 50-60 years than it has in the last two thousand years.

According to the statistics about heart disease, did you know that coronary artery disease was a rarity in America, prior to 1920?

By the mid 1950's, it topped the list as the leading cause of death among Americans and it remains so even today.

So what happened?

Why have we all been told that saturated fat is the cause of coronary artery disease?  Specifically, saturated fat from animal sources.   

Well, let me tell you what I've learned about this deception.

• This is called the “lipid hypothesis” theory which is supposed to be supported by the Framingham Heart Study and many others.
• However, there are many dissenting opinions. In fact there is extensive scientific evidence that's been around for over fifty years that contradicts the “lipid theory”.  
• Unfortunately, as Dr. George Mann of Vanderbilt University puts it, for “reasons of pride, profit, and prejudice” the media and the scientific community have not made this known to the public.

Click to learn more about The Lipid Hypothesis and The Framingham Study

Why Is Heart Disease On The Rise?

Dr. Dudley White, the most prestigious cardiologist in the 1950's, noticed that the rise in heart disease and heart attacks correlated directly with the rise in the consumption of vegetable oils.

• At the same time, people were eating less eggs, butter and lard.
• Margarine use in America had quadrupled and egg consumption declined by half.
• Then after World War II, came the invention of hydrogenated oils. This was used as a substitute for coconut oil and animal fats when baking.
•  Processed fats like Wesson Oil and Crisco had never been part of our diet before.
  

Dr. White and others suggested that American's should get back to making healthy choices with a more traditional diet of meat, eggs, butter and cheese.

It became very clear that the increased use of polyunsaturated oils and partially hydrogenated oils resulted in increased rates of heart disease.

However, the consumption of traditional animal fat and "real" butter has significantly declined.

It has been replaced by vegetable oils that serve as the basis for margarine, shortening and refined oils. These unhealthy oils have increased by 400%!

Do Statistics About Heart Disease Make Any Sense?

The other significant change in the American diet was the 60% increase in the consumption of sugar and processed foods.

Taking a walk through the aisles of the grocery store is really a wake up call.

About 80% of the aisles are filled with processed foods containing:  

• hydrogenated oils,
• refined sugar 
• high fructose corn syrup
• loads of other chemicals and preservatives.
  

To make healthy choices in the grocery store, you only need to shop the perimeter of the store.

Is it any wonder that we have a health crisis going on today?  

Now you know the other side of the story on the statistics about heart disease.  It's up to you to decide, which side is telling the truth?

Additional Resources

More About Your Cardiovascular Health

A New Look at Cholesterol Health

Return to Fats and Oils Page from Statistics About Heart Disease.

Return to Healthy Choices 4 Life Home Page.