Page 14 - Fall2010

Caustic Commentary

Sally Fallon Morell and Mary Enig take on the Diet Dictocrats

TARGETING CHILDREN sand subjects in twenty-one studies to assess the correlation
Not content with putting millions of adults on dangerous statin between saturated fat consumption and cardiovascular disease.
drugs, the pharmaceutical industry is targeting children with The conclusion: intake of saturated fat was not associated with
a chewable cholesterol-lowering product! Last month, Pfizer, an increased risk of heart disease or stroke (American Journal
Inc., announced that the European Commission had approved of Clinical Nutrition, January 13, 2010). Likewise, a prospective
a chewable form of Lipitor for use in children over the age of study from Australia, which looked at adults over a period of
ten. Pfizer’s Lipitor is the best-selling medicine worldwide, with fifteen years, found that people who ate the most full-fat dairy
sales of $11.4 million in 2009. But revenues are steadily drop- products had a 69 percent lower risk of cardiovascular death than
ping and Lipitor faces the loss of patent protection next year. So, those who ate the least; or, to put it another way, people who
of course, children are the natural targets for boosting lagging mostly avoided dairy foods or consumed lowfat dairy had more
sales (Bloomberg News, July 7, 2010). Just to make sure that the than three times the risk of dying of coronary heart disease or
new product has the widest possible market, a report published stroke compared to people who ate the most full-fat dairy (Euro-
in the journal Pediatrics, calls for cholesterol screening of all pean Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 7 April 2010). Now we have
children (Pediatrics, July 12, 2010). Shareholders must approve a study out of Japan, The Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for
of this strategy, because Jeffrey Kindler, Pfizer chief executive, Evaluation of Cancer Risk, which found that saturated fat intake
received a compensation package of $13.7 million in 2009. was inversely associated with mortality from stroke (American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August 4, 2010). Another recent
HAVE A STATIN WITH YOUR FAST FOOD MEAL study found that a high-fat diet is just as effective as a high-carb
Another wacky proposal is to give out statins with fast food diet for long-term weight loss, with better HDL-cholesterol
meals. In a stupendous example of junk science applied to junk (the so-called “good” cholesterol) levels among high-fat diet-
food, researchers for the International Centre for Circulatory ers (Annals of Internal Medicine, August 3, 2010 153:147-157).
Health in London pooled data And researchers at Louisiana
from seven questionable studies State University found that
on heart disease and concluded eating eggs for breakfast re-
that taking a statin with a seven- sulted in greater weight loss
ounce Quarter PounderR with and better energy levels than
cheese and a small milkshake eating two bagels even though
would neutralize the harmful the number of calories was
effects of the fats in those meals. about the same (The FASEB
From the study abstract we read, Journal 2007;21:538.1). But is
“. . . statin therapy can neutralize the USDA Dietary Guidelines
the cardiovascular risk caused by Committee listening? No, the
harmful diet choices. . . Routine gang of thirteen food Puritans
accessibility of statins in estab- is completely ignoring any-
lishments providing unhealthy thing that conflicts with their
food might be a rational modern lowfat agenda, specifically
means to offset the cardiovascu- warning against nutritious
lar risk. Fast food outlets already high-fat foods like cheese
offer free condiments to supple- and eggs.
ment meals. A free statin-containing accompaniment would
offer cardiovascular benefits, opposite to the effects of equally BETTER THAN BUTTER?
available salt, sugar, and high-fat condiments” (American Jour- Consumer attitudes can make or break a product, even an in-
nal of Cardiology 2010;106:587-592). dustry. That’s why the food industry keeps a sharp eye on what
consumers are thinking, via surveys, polls and market testing
IGNORING NEW EVIDENCE techniques. The United Soybean Board has conducted a survey
New evidence exonerating saturated fats as a cause of heart to assess consumer attitudes towards butter and margarine for
disease continues to accumulate. We have already reported on the last seventeen years, until 2005 by telephone and since then
a meta-analysis that looked at almost three hundred fifty thou- online, with over one thousand consumers participating. The
14 Wise Traditions FALL 2010