The association of animal fats and heart disease was misguided early on and has contributed to heart disease being the top killer of humans in the US. It’s time to change your thinking.
Okay, imagine it’s like a big science mystery from a long time ago! Back in 1953, a guy named Ancel Keys thought he figured out why so many people were having heart problems. He said, “Hey, eating too much fat—especially the kind in burgers and butter—and cholesterol makes your heart sick by clogging up your blood pipes.” He called this idea the lipid-heart hypothesis. He even made a math trick to guess how much cholesterol would build up in your blood based on eating certain fats and cholesterol. It was like a secret formula: a little bit of this fat, minus some of that fat, plus some cholesterol equals a number!
But here’s the problem: his formula mixed up two kinds of fats—one that comes from nature, like in meat, and another sneaky kind made in factories, called trans-fat, that was in stuff like fries and cookies. He also only cared about one type of healthy fat and ignored others, which messed up the balance of good stuff your body needs. It’s like saying only one superhero can save the day when really you need the whole team!
Scientists later checked his idea with lots of studies—like watching people, doing experiments, and even looking at hearts after people passed away. Guess what? They couldn’t prove he was right! His formula didn’t work like he thought. But even so, his idea stuck around and changed the way people were told to eat—like “avoid all fats!”—for years. And while everyone was so worried about hearts, other problems like cancer and sugar troubles started sneaking up more and more. So, it’s like focusing on one bad guy and missing the others creeping in!