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Eat for your health, the planet, and your values.

Become a Sustainavore!

Eat for your health, the planet, and your values.

Why Coconut Oil Won’t Kill You, But Listening to the American Heart Association Might!

You may have seen news about the latest “Presidential Advisory” on dietary fats released from the American Heart Association (AHA) published online in Circulation. The part of this report that seems to be making the most news around the internet is that coconut oil is unhealthy. In the last few days I’ve seen titles like “Coconut Oil is as Bad as Butter”, “Coconut Oil is Unhealthy and Has Never Been Healthy”. Not only do these types of headlines cause increased confusion for the general population, for those of us who understand the nuances and politics behind the AHA’s statement it’s absolutely infuriating. So, I thought I would write a rebuttal and present some actual facts about why their latest advice, and their continued promotion of inflammatory foods like margarine (yes, seriously) should be taken with a grain of salt.

[Tweet “Why Coconut Oil Won’t Kill You, But Listening to the American Heart Association Might!”]

Who is the American Heart Association?

The American Heart Association was founded by a group of cardiologists in 1924. Its purpose is to fight heart disease and stroke by funding research, promoting certain public health policies, and providing education to the public. With heart disease being the leading cause of death in the United States, this is clearly important work, but their effectiveness is clouded by politics and a questionable interpretation of science. They have repeatedly promoted the replacement of saturated fat with omega-6 (inflammatory) polyunsaturated fats in order to reduce heart disease risk, a recommendation that simply has not been supported by current research.

Additionally, as with any non-profit organization, the AHA needs money. The best place to get money is from corporate sponsors, which for them include Subway, Cheerios, and Bayer. In addition, the AHA allows companies to purchase a “seal of approval”, known as the Heart Check Program, that can be put on certain food products that meet specific criteria. Some of these products include Honey Nut Cheerios, Orange Juice, and V8 Fusion. The products endorsed by this program are generally high in refined carbohydrates and contain a lot of sugar. Not to mention, only the companies who can afford to pay the fee for the “Heart Check” label are allowed to use it on their packaging. Even for a non-profit, that many corporate connections make me question the validity of their claims and how they are analyzing the available data on heart disease.

The Problem with Nutrition Research

It’s not a surprise the AHA was able to spin the current research to match their overall message. Nutrition research is confusing because of a variety of problems with how research is conducted and analyzed. Here are some general reasons why it is almost impossible to conduct the type of double-blind, research study necessary to determine cause and effect in the area of nutrition:

  • Funding for research is provided by government organizations or corporations. This influences the type of research that is funded and the types of findings that come out of research as a result.
  • People lie about what they eat. Unless you lock people up and control every aspect of their diet, it is impossible to determine exactly what someone is eating. Food records, food frequency questionnaires, and interviews are all inaccurate.
  • Most nutrition research is based on epidemiological data that can only show correlations, or connections, and cannot determine causation between two variables. For example, the number of films Nicolas Cage has been in correlates with the number of people who have drowned falling into a pool.

Image source: Spurious Correlations

Saturated Fat and Heart Disease

In recent years, there have been 17 meta-analyses and systematic reviews conducted that have not found a clear link between saturated fat intake and heart disease. Of those that reviewed clinical trials on the subject, (instead of just epidemiological studies) not one found any connection between saturated fat intake, heart disease, and mortality. You can see a great summary of several of the studies on this topic here. Oddly enough, the AHA’s “in-depth analysis” only utilized four studies, some from the 1960s, to draw their conclusions. In their paper, they state only these four were “good enough” to be included. One famous study is the Framingham Heart Study.

“In Framingham, Massachusetts, the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower people’s serum cholesterol…we found that the people who ate the most cholesterol, ate the most saturated fat, ate the most calories weighed the least and were the most physically active.” Dr William Castelli 1992 (Director of the Framingham Heart Study). 

Regardless of the AHA cherry picking data to support their recommendations, the bottom line is that there’s no strong data connecting saturated fat and cardiovascular disease. Therefore, demonizing coconut oil (or any other type of saturated fat) as the cause of heart disease is simply not supported by available research.

High LDL May Not be Harmful

The AHA based a lot of their recommendations on the effect saturated fats have on increasing LDL cholesterol. But, they make no differentiation in their article between the size of the particles. It has been shown that large LDL particles do not increase risk of cardiovascular disease, whereas small, dense particles do. Also, it has been repeatedly shown that an increase in saturated fat intake does raise LDL, but only the large, fluffy kind, not the harmful dense LDL. Also, when we eat saturated fat, HDL cholesterol levels go up, which is protective to our hearts, reducing the risk of heart disease.

The Benefits of Coconut Oil

There are several benefits outlined in the research about coconut oil in the diet, which are not mentioned in the AHA paper. Here are a few of the highlights:

– Coconut oil may actually help improve cholesterol and blood lipids

– Coconut oil has been found to help people lose weight and reduce waist circumference.

– Coconut oil has anti-microbial and anti-viral properties.

– Coconut oil is anti-inflammatory, helping reduce the risk of heart disease.

The Dash Diet vs. Whole30/Paleo Type Diet

Should we really all start following the AHA dietary advice? Well, I don’t think so. The AHA highly endorses the “DASH” (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which is a low salt diet that recommends you eat margarine. MARGARINE. Who still eats this?

When you actually compare a DASH breakfast (and other similar, high carb and low fat, low protein breakfasts) to a Whole30/Paleo type breakfast, it’s pretty clear which one will provide you with the energy and nutrition to get you through your morning. Which would you rather eat?

The DASH breakfast begins with a glass of sugar (orange juice) then continues with low-fat milk, cereal, a banana and toast with margarine. No thank you! This is a fantastic diet to induce type 2 diabetes and heart disease, in my opinion. I’d rather take a real food, Whole30/Paleo breakfast any day. It’s 2017 and we know a little more than we did in the 80’s.

[Tweet “Hey AHA: Low fat is OUT. Real food is IN. Whole30/Paleo FTW! “]

The Sustainability of Coconut Oil

As a sustainability advocate, I do want to make one note about sustainability and coconut oil. Although there are benefits to health, there are other types of fats such as butter, lard, or other animal fats that may be from sources closer to you. Coconuts are generally shipped from Central or South America in order to arrive on our shelves here. In fact, it’s a traditional food to many in Ecuador, who are now following the AHA advice and have swapped this nutrient dense fat for vegetable oils. Since this change and their adoption of a more Western diet, many who used to consume large amounts of coconut oil have seen a health decline. Consider including other, local and more sustainable sources of fat. For those of us in America, this means butter and other animal-based fats.

Overall, take the recommendations of the AHA with a grain of salt. Although I am not a fan of dumping expensive MCT oil in your coffee, I also don’t think we all need to throw out our coconut oil. Focus on eating real food, including coconut oil, butter and other traditional fats. Please do not avoid healthy fats in favor of margarine, as the AHA recommends. Real, whole, environmentally sustainable food will always be healthy, regardless of what the latest report may claim.

For more on healthy fats, the Whole30 and how to incorporate them in your life, check out

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145 thoughts on “Why Coconut Oil Won’t Kill You, But Listening to the American Heart Association Might!”

  1. I enjoyed the article, but I suggest editing your comment about diabetes. Only type 2 diabetes is caused by what you consume and your overall health. . Type 1 is autoimmune, which leads to the continuing misinformation spread about diabetes as a general term. They are two separate diseases. Obviously, you hit a raw nerve. ????

      1. Diana — Loved the article. I can’t believe people still put any faith in organizations like the AHA. Mind boggling.

        @Kristin: Duhhhhh! Everyone already knows this.

        1. @jessica. Everyone!? Are you sure? What a rude way to speak to someone. Maybe you need to read some articles about etiquette and manners.

          1. I did not know this. Thank you Jessica for clarifying. You’ve prompted me to read further in to this. Furthermore, I’m sure lots of younger, uneducated, or misinformed people will not know this and it’s shitty to talk down to someone trying to spread information. What’s the point? Is your ego that huge?

        2. Alexandra Robedeaux

          Kristen, your “duh”, ego and immaturity give you away as a teenager. Grow up some before making comments.

        1. No. Dairy, especially raw grass fed dairy, is an incredibly healthy food for children and adults both. There is a definite agenda out there to vilify milk these days. I am assuming it comes from the ARA groups.

          1. …you know that the FDA allows up to a dropper full of pus per serving of milk? Please explain how pus is healthy? Also when an animal or it’s product was “grass-fed”, it just means that a small amount of grass was added to their diet, along with the grains. And in fact, by the FDA’s own standards, the milk in our stores today doesn’t even technically qualify as milk anymore. Full of fat, and though there are some healthful aspects, like calcium, you can find every single one of them from a better, healthier source.

      2. Diana, can you let me know where you found the info on how much it cost to get the heart check? I was trying to look that up. Also, I would love to have the full link from the quote from William Castelli in 1992! Thank you! I enjoyed this article and am on board as a cardiovascular nurse the cholesterol myths really frustrate me.

        1. What is a “heart check”? You mean your cholesterol numbers? I’m sure you can google more on William Castelli – I can’t remember the original source of that quote.

          1. Diana she was referring to your article, that companies pay a fee to have the “heart check” label. She wants to know what they pay to have that.

          2. Yes, where is this information. I guess I’m questioning the validity of that accusation…It is a pretty big accusation to say that they’re ‘bought’

        2. I have a very high cholesterol level. My doctor tried to put me on statins but I refused, so he fired me as a patient. Another doctor wanted to sonogrsm my heart so he could actually watch the valves work. I got a disgnosis letter from him and the first words were “This is a favorable result. ” Then he went on to mention several aspects of the test. I think he was shocked. I ear a diet with lots of good fats, carbs almost exclusively from fruit, and very little sugar. Works foe me.

          1. Thank you, Gary. I too refused statins and was fired by my doctor. Please folks, do your research on statins. You can start with Dr. David Diamond at the University of South Florida. He gives talks to cardiologists and lay people alike. You can catch him on youtube. Do not let the drug companies get away with this pervasive statin scam.

        3. Heart check labels can not be bought. They must meet requirements so just honey nut cheerios etc meet these standards. :
          http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/HealthyEating/Heart-CheckMarkCertification/Heart-Check-Food-Certification-Program-Nutrition-Requirements_UCM_300914_Article.jsp#mainContent

          Also there is only speculations and guesses as to what causes type 1 diabetes, it’s being researched, so blaming anything else is as silly and confusing to the gullible.

          1. The “Heart Check” label is a marketing thing. If your product meets the requirements, you may purchase the label to put on your product. This is how marketing works:) The AHA doesn’t just let you have the label out the the goodness of their heart.

      3. Honora Renwick

        Interestingly, the early A2 milk researchers discovered the properties of A1 milk (beta-caso morphine 7) were causing increased rates of juvenile onset (Type 1) diabetes in populations that had increased their intake of A1 milk. More about this can be read in “the Devil in the Milk” by Keith Woodford, a professor of agribusiness at Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand.

    1. First off, there are strong links between autoimmune disease and diet. Secondly, even a T1D needs to watch what they eat because it is not actually good for you to chase tons of carbs with tons of insulin; you can actually give yourself T2D ON TOP OF T1D doing that. So if y’all could knock it off with the We Aren’t Irresponsible Like All You Fatties argument, that’d be AWESOME.

      1. I agree that it is better to control your carb intake and take less insulin.
        You cannot get type 2 on top of type 1. You can be insulin resistant as a type 1, depending on weight and other factors like PCOS, etc.

    2. Not true type 1 diabetes is caused by mother’s consumption of milk in the womb and milk based formulas. All of these questions are addressed on the NutritionFacts.org website
      does-paratuberculosis-in-milk-trigger-type-1-diabetes/
      meat-consumption-and-the-development-of-type-1-diabetes/
      does-paratuberculosis-in-meat-trigger-type-1-diabetes/

        1. Cow’s milk is designed to turn a baby cow into a huge fat cow. Why would you want to consume it as a human?

          1. I personally don’t drink milk because I agree it’s fantastic at helping with weight gain. However, there are many people to NEED to gain weight. Milk can help with that. Please understand that there is context to every situation. Not everyone is just looking to be as skinny as possible and they may actually need some animal based fats to help.

          2. My son is very thin and I give him whole milk and butter whenever possible for the additional fat calories – one size does not fit all!

          3. An avocado is designed to turn a large seed into a giant fruit producing tree… why would you want to consume it as a human? Humans aren’t even plants! We eat what we eat because of the nutrition in it… it’s pretty hard to believe you honestly didn’t know that.

          4. @Fiona:
            Okay, so what are soybeans “designed for”? How about almonds? Kale? Wheat?

            The foods we eat are not “intended” to be food, with the exception of fruits/berries for the purposes of seed dispersal. All of agriculture, both the plants and the animals, is human intervention to produce food for humans.

        2. The site consists of completely cherry-picked data that tries to scare people away from eating nutrient-dense, traditional foods, which our bodies thrive on – animal foods. I can’t support it.

        3. So the digestion of milk as an adult human is a very recent evolutionary change. Some people can’t digest milk (lactose intolerant). Personally I don’t drink milk thank you very much. I don’t support the dairy industry.

        4. A vegan propaganda website? What does Dr. Greger have to gain from promoting a whole food plant based diet? Funding from big broccoli and beans? What is he basing his recommendations on if not science?

      1. @ Rivka Freeman – the cause factor of T1D is unknown. As a father to a T1 Diabetic child, do you think my partner and I have not looked at every possibility? Yet somehow you know the reason! LOL

      1. Bummer! I know it’s an extremely rare allergy to have and coconut is such a remarkable fruit. Sorry that’s the case!

      1. Diet plays a part, but it’s a little bit of a stretch to say DIRECT result with no citations. There are environmental factors, genetic factors, and other things that we don’t understand.

    3. Here are two articles by Dr. Ray Peat, one of the most knowledgeable and thorough researchers regarding nutrition in view of the most up to date physiology beginningvwith the contributions of Gilbert Ling et al and the proper correction of histological studies by and nevof if not the most qualified histologists in history, Dr. Harold Hillman recently sadly deceased. http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/diabetes.shtml

      http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/glucose-sucrose-diabetes.shtml

      Dr. Peat’s articles about coconut oil and the dangers of polyunsaturated fats like fish oils also need to be explored thoroughly as they are written so.

    4. A diabetes educator

      Type 2 Diabetes is not caused by what you eat. What you eat has an effect, absolutely, but it does not, by any means cause diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune disease, type 2 is a degenerative and progressive disease that has multiple factors (genetics being one of them).

      1. You can’t be serious. I couldn’t pass an oral glucose tolerance test but it’s irrelevant because I eat a low carb high fat diet, A1c 5.2 percent. T2DM doesn’t have to be progressive, at least not to any clinically significant degree. If I ate the diet recommended by the ADA, I’d be on an insulin pump, in between trips to the ICU for DKA.

    5. thank you for your comment i have been a type 1 diabetic for over 40 years and my illness is entirely different than than having type 2

  2. I read this sentence over and over again before I realized that the word “that” should be “the”.

    “Even for a non-profit, that many corporate connections make me question the validity of their claims and how they are analyzing the available data on heart disease.”

    1. ‘That’ is correct or Their. That/Their many (corporate funding) connections make me question the validity of their claims.

    2. I think it’s supposed to be that, like for emphasis “THAT many…” as in, “Even for a non-profit, having THAT many corporate connections makes me question… etc” idk

    3. You are only used to “that” as a preposition. Its use as an emphatic adjective is a fairly widespread idiom and has become acceptable although in print may sometimes use italics for clarification .

  3. Thank you, my running group discussed this news this morning. I love all things coconut, and don’t want to give it up. I’m curious when you say all real foods are part of a healthy diet. Can that include grains for those of us who aren’t sensitive to gluten? I’m just trying to figure out a healthy lifestyle. Thanks.

    1. If grains are tolerated then I don’t have a problem with eating whole grains. I don’t feel that they contribute much that you can’t find in more nutrient-dense sources like sweet potatoes, but if you want some quinoa or rice or traditionally prepared sourdough bread, I have no problem with that. Americans are eating way too many refined grains, sugars and industrially processed vegetable oils. I always recommend those looking to balance their blood sugar, lose weight or fix digestive issues try a 30-day grain, dairy and sugar free reset (like a Whole30 or paleo type diet) just to see if that changes things. But, my husband for example eats grains and has no problem with them. I think some people can handle more than others. However, for many, grains are a big problem that they don’t realize.

      1. I have two thing to say about Grains. Firstly, be leery of and thing that is government subsidized, period. That includes Soy. Secondly, pay attention to the Peter J. D’Adamo’s Blood Type Diet and how it deals with Grains. I find this diet, with all it’s peculiarities, to have a handle on certain food groups and if you know your blood type (and why shouldn’t you?) and you understand the evolution of our blood, (make sense that all humans do understand it)… and know what each blood type is capable of eating and eating in moderation and avoiding. You probably have this paperback book, Eat Right for Your Type, in your home library. pick it up and read it again, or for the first time.

        1. I don’t subscribe to the blood type diet because there are just so many more variables than blood type that need to be considered in order to understand what is the best diet for someone. I like to start with a basic Whole30/Paleo template and take it from there.

          1. Of course there are more variables than the blood type. I never suggested basing your diet exclusively on a any one diet. But you said your husband eats grains and has no problem with them …i bet we would find his blood type is compatible with grains. This is usually the case with diets, one diet works for one person and not the next person, or one person excels at losing weight with a particular diet and others don’t lose weight at all. I have discovered a constancy in the blood type as to why one diet works for one person and not the other. You said you don’t subscribe to the Blood Type Diet… but would you not agree it is a good place to start and assess whether you see a pattern. And if you followed the evolution of blood you would see the vast difference as to why certain foods work for some blood types and not the other. Obviously, you are sold on the Whole30/Paleo. Good for you. If you prick up your ears and ask people who find the Paleo diet works well for them , what is their blood type you will be astounded that the successes and failures (less successful) will fall into one blood type category or another.

          2. No. The reason my husband can tolerate grains and more carbs than me has nothing to do with his blood type. He had a vaginal birth (healthy biome) was breastfed (healthy biome) and was fed whole milk, liver, meatloaf, butter and lots of other traditional foods as a child. He also has great genes. I was not so lucky on all of these counts. There are environmental and epigenetic factors that come into play after you are born (with our blood type), for example I developed Celiac disease. This has nothing to do with my blood type. My kids have the SAME blood type as me and are much healthier because I’ve been super careful and have been able to provide them with all the benefits my husband had, so they have super strong digestive systems. This has nothing to do with blood type. Nothing.

          3. Wow, I guess you no more than everyone then… Maybe we should just let you tell us what to eat. Your husband is probably a Blood Type A. Let me know if I am not right.

          4. You are incorrect. People do let me tell them what to eat, that’s my job. I’ve written a couple of books on it as well. The blood type diet is not science. Yes, there are certain populations who genetically can do better on milk, for example – but the blood type diet is not actual science. It’s just marketing. Great if it works for you, but I have to go on science. There are just many more complicated factors involved in finding out what works for people than just telling them “Oh, great, you’re a type A, then you eat this!” It’s just not that simplistic.

          5. Wow… I will unsubscribe. You don’t listen to others. input. And If blood type is not science than you really don’t get it science … Cheers and good luck to those who listen to you. i won’t be one of them. I still bet your husband is a blood type A.

        2. My husband and I (and our kids) are ALL the same type and several of us (7 total) can handle certain foods while others can’t. Blood type diet would not work for us as a family…
          I also know from experience that grains in moderation can often seem to be tolerated when they’re quietly doing damage. I blame said moderation in part for where I find myself currently: hormone imbalance, symptoms of thyroid issues, and symptoms of gallbladder issues (which I’ve recently learned are all interconnected, which I suppose should be a “duh” but we’re often not treated by doctors as if they are; most doctors will only treat the obvious issue and not consider the chain reaction that brought it on). Now trying to heal my insides so I won’t need a doctor to slice out an “unnecessary organ” (my gallbladder).

        3. My husband and I were very impressed with the information in the ‘Eat Right for Your Type’ book. Our blood types followed precisely the types of foods we felt best eating, and in my case, when I read an accompanying book recommending that green peppers were one vegetable I should stay away from, it was enlightning – for some reason I have a severe digestive reaction to peppers. I’ve been eliminating animal protein from my diet ever since reading the book and I’ve never felt better.

    2. All grains, beans, nuts should be sprouted or fermented before eating to neutralize the gluten and, or get rid of enzyme inhibitors. This is very important. Read should be sourdough, however, the real sourdo6 is almost impossible to find. It won’t be in the average store. I found a very good resource book is Nourishing Traditions by Sally Falcon. There’s a lot to this and research is so important.

  4. Thanks for this thoughtful article. A few people have stopped listening to the system completely, because we know it is all about money & control, and has got Nothing to do with health.

  5. Pingback: [BLOCKED BY STBV] Skip the coconut oil, say new heart-healthy guidelines – Dallas News | Globall News

    1. So, shipping coconut oil from central and south America is? Really? Or we should grow our fats like canola in mono crop conditions? Is that better? All those fossil fuels and lost of habitat?

    2. The problem is the “modern” model of agriculture and production. There are methods of food creation which are environmentally friendly and sustainable.

      1. (wow… you’ve got a lot of catty commenters here. Thanks for your article – i appreciated it!)

        This was my question too … after hearing so much about the unsustainability of animal farms, i wondered if shipping coconuts wouldn’t be more eco-friendly? Coconuts don’t emit methane… and i’m honestly not sure about the distance my milk travels, due to weird trade arrangements and economic factors i don’t understand.

        1. I’m working on a book right now outlining how ruminants are actually beneficial if well managed, much better than crops. They emit methane but they can be a net carbon gain. People need to look at the whole cycle of grass-fed ruminants. More to come!

  6. I use a Keto diet. They use a lot of coconut because it is so high in fat. However I do not have a gall bladder. Too much fat upsets my stomach and bowels so I use a little cream and butter and
    Cheese. And I have lost about 15 kegs 12 months. Have no heart, blood pressure or diabetes. Of course Keto is no sugar and very low carbs :)))

  7. Thank you for your article. The more I tried to eat an AHA and DASH diet, the sicker and more obese I got with a super high hs-CRP.
    . On a lower carb, Whole30 approach I’ve been able to maintain my 70+ pound weight loss for 5+ years. I was obese for 40 years prior and thought I was a failure and not trying hard enough. Great points in your article and thanks for something I can share with my weight maintenance buddies and family. It’s nice to eat a wide variety of saturate fat, veggies, meat, and spices and maintain a nice lean body weight, with a low hs-CRP.

    Thanks again and keep helping us help ourselves and our loved ones.

  8. Just the smell of coconut makes me want to upchuck.
    Even as a kid I hated it. Coconut oil smells like suntan
    lotion, you can have it.

  9. Sherrie Hagenhoff

    Bravo! Diana. From a -former- RD, LD, CDE! I couldn’t take it anymore. Read your wonderful article followed by the comments. I got tired of the rabbit chases people wanted to run. Take information or leave it. That simple. Apply what works for you or walk away. Sheesh! My clients gave me way more gray hairs than children. I found the ADA was just as big a croc! The one in Chicago! I have an Elderberry farm now. I am infuriated that even though my arteries are clean as a whistle and my heart is a perfect specimen, I am being charged higher rates for life insurance for a TC of 339. LDL 220 HDL of 85! Not sure about Whole 30 yet, but clean eating out of my back yard- oh yeah!

  10. While I think this article generally did a good job of citing sources (even though many of the studies seemed very basic, small, and singular) however, there was nothing to back up the claim that “Since this change and their adoption of a more Western diet, many who used to consume large amounts of coconut oil have seen a health decline.” That seemed to be a major point that would help your article that coconut oil is in fact better than other oils yet I have no reason to believe that statement.
    Overall, I think that anything with saturated fat rather than unsaturated fat is going to provide fewer health benefits and it is clear that coconut oil is higher in saturated fats. I don’t think this should make anyone stop using it completely but it shouldn’t be used as a replacement for all other oils with the idea that it is somehow healthier.

  11. Diana, I just can’t get beyond the fact that you come off as a rude, pompous ass-hole in your responses to people. When you become so rattled and condescending with opposing viewpoints, you look weak and lose your credibility.

    1. Lots of men do feel threatened when a woman has a strong voice. You don’t have to follow if you don’t like what I say. I definitely don’t go onto other people’s pages and say nasty things about their personality. Have a great day!

    1. What?!! What country are you from? We have free speech for a reason! Be open to other people’s opinions and articles. Research it yourself and back up what you say with documentation. What Diane is saying is well researched and she cites a book that has a wealth of information about fat and basically why the AHA says what they say. Jail?! Really?!! You are just taking pot shots.

  12. Im a bit overwhelm not with your blogpost but of the many many thoughts on what oils to consume for optimal health……seems to be no common ground among anyone……..and more confusion for the average person who is just wanting to find reliable and relevant information

    1. I have a disclosure right at the top of this post that sometimes I do sell items on the site for a commission, however I’ve made no money at all from the coconut industry on this post. I’ve made no money at all from this post. Also, HUGE difference here – I’m not a non profit in charge of handing out public health information.

  13. Your Nicholas Cage example is week. Correlation is a well-documented statistical analysis given the correlation coefficient is strong enough. It is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to prove causation because that would require testing the entire population and removing ALL confounding variables.

    I would much rather you had taken the omega-3 versus omega-6 route. I just didn’t find your article strong enough science. On the other hand, thank you for pointing out where the money comes from. As Deep Throat said, “Follow the money.”

    1. These correlational studies pointing to only one aspect of someone’s diet without adjusting for confounding factors should not be proof of cause as so many interpret them to be (I’m especially talking about the China Study).

  14. Wow! I don’t think I’ve seen this many angry folks on a political blog! Not too many open minds, were there? Hardly any of them were willing to read what you wrote and take any of it to heart(OK, sorry for the pun!)

    You’d think that at least some of those angry people could have at least found a little courtesy. You even said many times that not any one diet was perfect, but if they’d bothered to read they’d at LEAST have seen how many references you included that showed how many times the AHA has been wrong, and won’t admit it…sigh…

    I myself (try very hard) to stick with a lo-no carb diet, but I also understand that it’s not for everyone. But having now seen 3 different individuals that were on all sorts of medications(statins, blood pressure meds & insulin for type 2 diabetes) get completely off those meds by being on a lo-no carb diet, plus losing on average 50 each! I’d say it’s a pretty successful choice. So, I’m going to use cream where you use low-fat milk ☺, but that’s OK.( I don’t drink much milk, but it sure would be nice to find more brands of whole milk yogurt!) Because while that might work for me, it might not for you. And meat is great because you can eat a lot less of that protein compared to many others, and humans were designed to eat meat. And coconut anything is wonderful!

    I sure hope your next article doesn’t have so many know-it-alls!

    1. You might consider making your own whole milk yoghurt. Homemade yoghurt is easy. And homemade Kefir is even easier. I learned to make my own, because it was almost impossible to find organic whole milk kefir. My homemade yoghurt or kefir is flavored with fruit, but I never add sugar (as is found in most of the flavored store bought brands).

  15. I just logged onto the site. I enjoyed what I read but then all those comments, that’s just too intense for me. I felt like I walked into a battle I Believe there’s good information to be had on this site, but I’m one of those from the Stone Age and I don’t especially feel like battling anymore If I check it out again down the road I’ll be sure and keep my comments to myself.
    PS: I see no need in posting this comment

  16. Excellent job Diana, keep going. There are many people who want real and clear information, thank you for sharing this article. ????????

  17. I say do whatever works for you. I went on a diet and they wanted me to eat high protein low carb diet and you know what I gained weight. My fiancé helped me out and switched it to high carb and low protein diet and you know what it worked. I would drop 2-3 lbs a week. I ate fresh cooked bread, rice, and potatos during the week and eat something with protein on tje weekend. With the high protein diet I would gain 1-2 lbs a week.
    I hate the fact that carbs have such a bad wrap. They are not bad your body needs carbs to fuel your body.

  18. Love my coconut oil!
    My concern about eating butter and lard is that fats harbor toxins. I’m not sure I would even trust organic butter and lard to be free of toxins.

  19. Excellent article. Thank you Diane Rodgers for writing this and helping to clear some things up. So much misinformation out there!

  20. You have a couple of logical fallacies in your article.

    1. Ad hominem. Just because they are supported by “big” companies does not mean that their studies are thrown out the door. Additionally, do you have any evidence suggesting that the AHA had this study funded by these proposed companies? Sounds like a correlation not causeation.. oh wait let’s move on…

    2. Your correlation graph commits the False Anlogy Fallacy. What does a correlation between Nick cage and CVD have to do with anything. It’s like saying, “look at this, this totally unrelated thing isn’t true so this must not be true either”. Straight up logical fallacy.

  21. Thanks for this. I try to eat paleo and love my bulletproof coffee (with butter and coconut oil).
    If you are not a fan, what do you recommend for a nice, creamy coffee without ultra-pasteurized dairy products? I have access to raw milk, but not raw cream or half and half. Thanks.

    1. I drink my coffee black. You can try nut pods for a dairy free alternative – I’m just not a fan of just dumping tons of fat into your beverages, but one coffee with raw milk or some organic half and half is also ok.

  22. It seems like you don’t like or agree with vegans. What are your thoughts on the Blue Zones? Animal based food I’ve read is highly inflammatory. People who are living the longest, such as those in the Blue Zones, have diets that are contain low to no amount of animal foods and mostly consists of plant-based foods. I’ve tried several theories out there and think some work well for some and others don’t. Panel or Whole30 does not work well for everyone but I do know some people who love it and feel great. For me, meat and dairy weighed me down and made me tired. I’ve never had more energy than I do now eliminating animal foods.

    1. There are so many lifestyle factors of those who live in the blue zones that you really can’t just say it’s “they eat less meat”. Climate, genetics, stress, smoking, drinking, community, outdoor time, etc – I really don’t see how you can say it’s the meat. There are just too many variables happening at once to single out meat. The most inflammatory foods are processed grains, sugar, vegetable oils and alcohol, not a steak or coconut oil. When you adjust for lifestyle factors, there is no health benefit to avoiding meat – here’s a big study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28040519/ and here is an article I wrote on protein: http://sustainabledish.com/protein-better-protein/ If meat weighs you down, then you’re not producing enough stomach acid to digest it properly, which happens when people reduce their meat intake.

    2. @ Jess
      If someone wants to be vegan, it is their choice and I do not judge, but saying that people in blue zones mostly eat plant based foods, is just not true.
      My roots are in one of those blue zones. Sardinia, Italy. Lots of people there (including some of my ancestors) became quite old, about 100 years old. I can assure you they were not vegans and they still are not vegans. In the past, they ate what was there. Bread, vegetables, meat, fish, dairy products. Many people had a pig that they fed during spring and summer. In the autumn, the pig was butchered and turned into food.
      There were and there still are shepherds. Their sheep provide(d) milk, cheese, and meat.
      Some traditional foods: pecorino sardo (cheese from sheep milk), su callu (smoked cheese, made in a stomach), lots of different sorts of dried meat, dried and fresh sausages (with meat, not with plants), even the traditional cookies are often made with lard (not with coconut oil or any other plan-based fats).
      Another blue zone is Icaria, Greece. In Greece they also eat a lot of meat and fish. Feta (dairy product) is a traditional Greek product.
      Okinawa, Japan, another blue zone. Sashimi and sushi are Japanese dishes.
      I do not really know anything about the other 2 blue zones, but even if they eat mostly plant-based food, the statement would still not be valid.

  23. Elizabeth Robertson

    Shouldn’t you have differentiated VIRGIN COCONUT OIL (VCO), the healthier type of coconut oil, from refined coconut oil? So maybe AHA deliberately used coconut oil that was not cold-pressed to come up with the bad statistics, as we know, non-VCO can really cause havoc to our health.

  24. thank you diana for your article. and thank you everybody for the different oppinions.
    after readingfor the best time of one hour…( i have hashimotos thyroditis with all the bad signs) i just have to put in my view.
    first, i was born in the after war (2nd) time and very sickly. penicillin was just out and unaffordable for us. i had pneumonia twice, hooping cough, mumps and one other one i can not rember. all that before i was 4 years old. didn’t get many immunization injections as i was allways to sick for it!
    i grow up on raw chicken eggs, fresh out of the utter goat milk and spoon full of butter. i survived without antibiotica, or penicillin!! i was all my younger life under weight and petit. now in my late 60th i am overweight without a chance of loosing becourse of hashimotos. after 10 year of being diagnosed, i am still trying to get my thyroid ranges right.
    i now try to eat like the hunter gatherers: mostly organic, seasonal, lots of herbs, and sometime lots of meat or only veggies with organic butter and organic coconut oil.
    most of us humans are still hunters and gatherers and our organs still need to evolve.
    one last thing i read not long ago: inui ( eskimos), red indians, australian aboriginals have one less gene then the rest of us!! they can not digest the western food well! alkohol, and fast food, refined sugar is their down fall! overweight, diabetes and premature death the result
    please don’t shreed me or my oppinions, all this is MY life experience while reading and watching the world go by. xxo

  25. You realise it’s impossible to take you seriously when you bring up nonsense like paleo diets, don’t you? Idiot.

      1. OMG. Diana Rodgers I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!! Not because of the amazing articles you write. Which you do. But look at you in your big girl panties totally rocking out these comments. Proud of you sister. <3 May I have as much wit, style and sustenance as you. Glad I found you.

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  30. Where did you go to school and what specific training did you do to acquire the title of “Registered Dietitian”?

    1. “A more effective, or at least honest, response to the AHA position statement would be a defense of using observational studies and/or studies that replaced saturated fat with things other than a fat. Instead, Sustainable Dish fails to acknowledge the fact that these methodological debates (which are real and ongoing) are the basis for AHA’s data selection in the first place.” – Actually my entire position is that the methodology is poor for nutrition science. And my “diet” isn’t “coconut oil based”. Additionally, I’m very transparent about my affiliate relationships and did not attempt at all to hide it or appear to be unbiased. Everyone has a bias if they eat. Coconut oil is a health food – margarine is not. It’s very simple.

      I’m really not interested in spending time defending my post (which got over 175k shares on Facebook) against their weak post. Every single health professional that I respect has an article out criticizing the AHA position on coconut oil and saturated fat in general. What that website or anyone else has to say about my post or me in general makes absolutely no difference in how I will write in the future.

        1. Hi, Diana. It’s very rare that I delve into the depths of website commentaries, but after reading this article I was specifically curious about any response to what the Snopes’ critique had to offer. As a student of evidence-based nutrition, I’m not sure the presented counterargument to Snopes is any counterargument at all. If nutrition science methodology is poor, are we to adhere to anecdotal evidence? What kinds of changes should be made in nutrition science and have any studies addressed these changes? More to the point, have any studies on coconut oil and/or saturated fats been satisfactorily conducted? What makes them different from the ones cited in Circulations’ assessment? Furthermore, Facebook shares may be exciting, but are hardly reflective of scientific validity.

          The prevalence of conflicting research regarding saturated fats can make it difficult for most people to form a conclusion, even those studying the biochemistry behind such nutrients. As Ralph, who wrote the initial comment in this post, stated, I would hope that a registered dietitian would be passionate enough to take on a line-by-line counterargument in defense of their strong positions. Blatant disregard of any conflicting evidence without addressing it specifically makes a position that much weaker. When dealing with the severity of cardiovascular disease, every precaution must be taken to ensure that dietary advice is the most honest available.

          With much love,
          Geoff

          1. I just don’t have the time to refute every challenge to my posts – if I did, I’d be full time writing for no pay. I hope you understand. I need to focus on my nutrition clients and my other work. If people don’t like the evidence I present, that’s their problem, not mine. I’m working on a film right now that will hopefully reinforce some of these points. In the meantime, please read Nina Teicholz’s book, The Big Fat Surprise for a more detailed explanation of why the saturated fat hypothesis is so very wrong.

      1. Thank you for the book reference. I will look into it. I was, however, able to find a detailed critical review of the book where much of what Teicholz claims is both clarified and refuted, often using the very research she cites. Again, when we are disussing CVD, science must trump belief, no matter how hard a pill it is to swallow.
        https://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/08/10/the-big-fat-surprise-a-critical-review-part-1/
        https://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2014/06/30/the-big-fat-surprise-a-critical-review-part-2/

        The author of the review also posted on the use of logical fallacies in Teicholz’s book.
        https://thescienceofnutrition.wordpress.com/2015/01/05/adele-hite-nina-teicholz-and-logical-fallacies/

        1. And then at some point, people need to use common sense. Have humans been eating meat for thousands of years? Yes. Have we been eating organ meats and animal fats for years? Yes. What traditional population ate low fat foods or vegan? None. What is the health status of traditional populations that still thrive on their hunter-gatherer type diets, like the Maasai, who eat basically full fat milk and blood with little to no vegetables? Great. It’s very easy to cherry pick data on either side, but it’s hard to deny nature. Nature doesn’t make egg whites separate from egg yolks. Humans thrive on animals AND plants, and animal products have vitamins and minerals and EFAs that are difficult to near impossible to obtain from plants. If I spent my entire day refuting all of the crazy low-fat, plant-based claims out there or defending myself against people who truly believe they’re right, I’d never get anything done. Have a great day.

          1. I am not a vegan or vegetarian (not that I have a problem with those who are) and never said anything about low-fat diets. Higher-fat diet diets actually seem very promising, especially for certain populations. The science I was referring to is that high amounts of saturated fats have continually been shown to raise LDL cholesterol, and that substituting them with mono- and polyunsaturated fats have consistently been shown to improve cardiovascular disease outcomes. This was discussed by Snopes and the AHA Circulation journal articles on dietary fats (which did address LDL particle size).

          2. Saturated fats also raise HDL “good” cholesterol. And many people who have heart attacks have “normal” cholesterol. When we look at overall longevity, there’s no reason to go low fat. There are a ton of books and articles that back me up. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-questionable-link-between-saturated-fat-and-heart-disease-1399070926

            I’ve got a HUGE project going on and don’t have the time I feel your questions need. Feel free to visit my reading list or my other articles for more defense of my positions. I’m not the only one who thinks that meat and fat are actually good. Have a great day!

        2. “The fact is, there has never been solid evidence for the idea that these fats cause disease. We only believe this to be the case because nutrition policy has been derailed over the past half-century by a mixture of personal ambition, bad science, politics and bias.” conclusion of the WSJ article by Nina Teicholz.
          The criticism of Teicholz’ work by Seth that you posted is picky and inaccurate in its conclusions and misses the big picture. https://thebigfatsurprise.com/response-critics/ and read her faq page too.
          Seth is one of the very few who has disputed Teicholz’ work – if you really care, read her whole book as well as many others by respected journalists and doctors who assert the same things: Taubes, Drs. Ludwig, Malhotra, Hyman, Davis, Mark Sisson, and many more.

  31. Very good article. Everyone knows that coconut oil is healthy even here at the University
    of the West Indies where coconut plantations have been studied for
    over a hundred years. There are cold pressed (virgin) coconut oil,
    coconut oil from heat extraction and then processed coconut oil which
    is usually on the American grocery shelves. Apparently Americans don’t
    like the sweet coconut oil smell so they remove it by using chemical
    reagents.

    The AHA study is littered with half-truths and its only purpose is to
    promote canola, corn and soya oil which is a billion dollar industry
    in the US. Why would the AHA endorse genetically modified oils with
    “Roundup” residue as healthy?

    The AHA has even promoted processed foods as healthy in the past. One
    would have to ask a most pertinent question – who is funding the AHA?

  32. Diana, I am glad I found you and your site. I admire your presentation of information and especially the straightforward way you dealt with questions and criticisms. Excellent. As a health professional I am on the look out for sites of your caliber and will be sharing it with others.

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  34. Hi Diana, I’m glad I found your site. Another addition to my list of reliable health blogs. Very objective and unbiased towards research. Hope to see more articles like these.

    Adam

  35. Dr Mercola has posted that John Warner, a cardiologist and president of the AHA has just sustained a heart attack due to a blocked coronary artery and had a stent inserted:
    https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2017/11/29/aha-president-suffers-heart-attack.aspx

    ” John Warner, cardiologist and president of the American Heart Association (AHA), recently suffered a heart attack in the middle of a health conference at the age of 52
    In all likelihood, Warner followed AHA recommendations, many of which actually worsen or cause heart disease
    AHA supports ample grain consumption and recommends eating harmful fats such as canola, corn, soybean and sunflower oil, both of which are known to cause and/or contribute to cardiovascular problems .”

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