"Low-fat" or "fat-free", you are probably attracted to buying products that have such phrases on their packaging, which manufacturers are often keen to highlight by highlighting them in a distinctive color from the rest of the package, knowing very well that a single two-word phrase can sell millions of additional packs without a single additional advertisement on TV.
This type of anti-fat or anti-fat promotion stretches back nearly four decades, in the eighties, "fats" were sharply attacked and heavily criticized by specialists in cardiovascular domains, and low-fat or lean products became an essential component of a healthy diet. But this belief did not last long. Today, nutritionists largely agree that a healthy diet should include some fats, including those found in whole milk for example.
Fats.. Food Villain
Scientific evidence does not support that low-fat or fat-free products are healthier than full-fat products. (Shutterstock)
Over the past decades, medical guidelines based on a number of scientific studies, presented in the United Kingdom and the United States in the late seventies and early eighties, have recommended reducing the total consumption of dietary fats. But recent studies, including a paper published in the journal Open Heart in 2015, say the guidelines lacked any solid empirical evidence.
The study notes that the national dietary guidelines introduced by the US and UK governments were aimed at reducing the incidence of coronary heart disease by reducing fat intake, but confirms that the dietary advice given to 220 million Americans and 56 million British citizens was formulated based on a study of a small number of unhealthy men, while the results of the meta-analysis confirm that there is not enough evidence to support recommendations on reducing dietary fat consumption for Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease or related deaths. (1). (2)
The study argues that when fats are labeled the "main food villain," public health teams did not pay enough attention to the risks posed by other foods, especially carbohydrates, which are thought to help fuel the obesity crisis with their proven negative health effects. (3) According to the Harvard Medical Platform, it is unhealthy to ignore fats altogether, healthy fats, including fats found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocados (trans fats), can help the body absorb essential nutrients, making them play a role in supporting and promoting the overall health of the body.
But what about the fat found in dairy products, is low-fat or skimmed milk or cheese better than full-fat dairy products? The answer offered by Dr. Frank Ho, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is "no," explaining that scientific evidence does not support that low- or fat-free products are healthier than full-fat products.
Reducing your intake of saturated fats and replacing them with trans fats, especially polyunsaturated fats, will reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. (Shutterstock)
What makes some tend to say that dairy is unhealthy is the fact that it mainly contains saturated fats (those found in cheese, butter, high-fat cuts of meat, palm oil, coconut, etc.) that studies have previously shown can contribute to an increased risk of heart disease, and are different from the unsaturated fats found in olive oil or nuts. The remedy for this, which Dr. Frank advises, is "moderation," not abstinence. (4)
Many experts agree with this trend who argue that focusing exclusively on saturated fats rather than the whole diet is something that does not take into account the effects of other food ingredients, such as added sugars, that may negatively affect health. For example, replacing foods high in saturated fat in favor of a high-carbohydrate diet has been shown to unintentionally increase the risk of heart disease. Here it is the whole diet that is important and not just one element of it. (5)
Meanwhile, the medical literature is still full of articles discussing opposing positions on saturated fats. For example, in 2017, after reviewing the evidence, the American Heart Association strongly advocated that reducing saturated fat intake and replacing it with trans fats, especially polyunsaturated fats, would reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Trials that reduced dietary saturated fat intake and replaced it in favor of unsaturated vegetable oils saw a 30% reduction in the incidence of cardiovascular disease. (6)
Then, just three months into the previous endorsement, another study of 18 countries came to the exact opposite conclusion: total fat and other types of fat were not associated with cardiovascular disease or the resulting deaths. By contrast, the study said it was carbohydrate intake that was associated with a higher risk of mortality from these diseases. (7) The researchers argue that the significant variation in study results may be due to the inherent complexity of human diets and methodological considerations, other than the role that bias may play.
It is not right to ignore it completely
One study suggested that eating full-fat dairy products has a neutral or protective effect on the risk of heart disease, strokes and high blood pressure. (Shutterstock)
The Harvard Health University Platform explains that dozens of types of saturated fats are important building blocks and energy stores for the body, and that the problem only occurs when we eat too much of these saturated fats (dairy or meat) while reducing trans fats (olive oil or nuts), because this increases the amount of cholesterol circulating in the bloodstream and within the walls of the arteries. These deposits, called plaques, can narrow the coronary arteries, which can cause angina. (8)
To avoid this, the American Heart Association recommends pursuing a dietary pattern that brings in 5-6% of your daily calories from saturated fat. For example, if you need about 2000,120 calories a day, no more than 13 calories should come from saturated fat, which equates to about 9 grams of saturated fat a day. (<>)
According to Healthline, it's also important to keep in mind that different forms of saturated fat are not equally effective. For example, a diet high in saturated fats, which come in the form of fast food, fried products, sugary baked goods and processed meats, is likely to affect health differently than a diet high in saturated fats that comes in the form of full-fat dairy products and natural, unprocessed meats. (5)
This is illustrated by a research review, published in 2016, which suggested that eating full-fat dairy products has a neutral or protective effect on the risk of heart disease, strokes and high blood pressure. (10) In contrast, a study published in 2015 showed that eating processed foods high in saturated fat, including fast food and fried foods, was indeed consistently associated with an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and many other health conditions such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease (11), which confirms that the source from which we get saturated fat is essential.
This means that when some people face health problems resulting from their diet, this is rarely just because they chose a full-fat dairy product instead of a low-fat one, but the most likely reason will be their excessive intake of fried and processed products. When people sometimes focus on reducing fat, they start eating more refined carbohydrates and sugar as an alternative, which can lead to other health risks that may be more dangerous. (4)
Are fat-free products actually healthy?
Skim and low-fat milk goes through additional fat removal treatment, resulting in a product with a sugar content. (Shutterstock)
Add to that another very important problem, as many people associate the phrase low or skim on food products with the fact that these foods are healthier and more beneficial than others. This link overlooks the fact that many processed foods are classified as low-fat, from favorite breakfast cereals to low-fat yogurt and ice cream. But are these "low-fat" foods actually a healthier alternative to regular or full-fat foods? In fact, there are many ingredients added to these "low-fat" foods that don't make them a healthy choice at all, including artificial colors and sweeteners, added flavors, stabilizers, added sugar, salt, and high-fructose corn syrup. (12)
For example, low-fat sweetened breakfast cereals, promoted as healthy food based on being low in fat and fortified with vitamins and minerals, contain a lot of added sugar. In the ingredients section on the packages of these cereals, sugar is usually the second or third ingredient listed, which means it is present in large quantities. (13)
Low-fat yogurt is also widely used as a healthy food, however, sugar-sweetened yogurt cannot be considered a healthy choice even if it is low-fat. Some may also prefer to buy low-fat peanut butter, which may also not be as healthy as imagined. Natural peanut butter contains only peanuts and maybe a little salt, in contrast, low-fat peanut butter contains sugar, corn syrup, and other additives to make it more appetizing. Furthermore, although the total fat in low-fat peanut butter is reduced, some of the healthy monounsaturated fats found in regular peanut butter are replaced by processed vegetable oil to produce low-fat butter. (14)
Fast food and processed foods in general are one of the major problems facing us. (Shutterstock)
With regard to skim milk, long described as the healthiest dairy, recent research suggests that this is uncertain at the very least. First of all, we should point out that skim and low-fat milk goes through additional fat removal processing, resulting in a product with a higher sugar content, which exceeds the sugar content found in an equal serving of whole milk. (14)
Other than that, an important study published in 2019 suggests that full-fat dairy products, especially yogurt and cheese, do not have the previously expected adverse effects on insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, and blood pressure; these products also do not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, and may actually protect against cardiovascular disease and type 15 diabetes, according to the study. (<>)
In the end, we probably should know that healthy nutrition is not about advertising conventions like "full-fat" or "fat-free," but about our whole diet. There is a lot of controversy in this range, but what everyone agrees on is that fast food and processed foods in general are one of the major problems facing us, and they are the main villain in this novel.
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Sources:
1- Evidence from randomised controlled trials did not support the introduction of dietary fat guidelines in 1977 and 1983: a systematic review and meta-analysis
2- Randomised controlled trials—the gold standard for effectiveness research
3- Research criticising 1980s fat guidelines misguided, say scientists
4- Is low-fat or full-fat the better choice for dairy products?
5- Is Saturated Fat Unhealthy?
6- Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association
7- Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study
8- – New thinking on saturated fat
9- Saturated Fat
10- Systematic Review of the Association between Dairy Product Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular-Related Clinical Outcomes1,2,3
11- Fast Food Pattern and Cardiometabolic Disorders: A Review of Current Studies
12- The Myth Of ‘Low Fat’Food
13- Dietary Fructose and the Metabolic Syndrome
14- 10 ‘Low Fat’ Foods That Are Low In Nutrients
15- Effects of Full-Fat and Fermented Dairy Products on Cardiometabolic Disease: Food Is More Than the Sum of Its Parts