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When you picture what causes heart disease, what pops into your head?
If you said butter, red meat, eggs, or cheese - saturated fat - you're not alone.
That's exactly what you were taught.
But how that story came about has to be one of the wildest things I've come across in my nutrition rabbit holes.
It involves Harvard research, bribes, and corporate greed. Sounds like it needs its own Netflix documentary, doesn’t it?
Here’s the story about how the sugar industry has lied to you about what causes heart disease.
Let’s Go Back In Time…
In 1967, three scientists at Harvard published a review article in the New England Journal of Medicine. We’re talking the best of the best when it comes to nutrition research.
The article concluded that saturated fat and cholesterol cause heart disease. Sounds familiar, right?
They also wrote briefly about sugar and said that it’s not really worth worrying about.
That single review shaped the next 50 years of nutrition advice. You grew up with low-fat margarine, skim milk, and egg whites. Butter was the enemy and vegetable oils were said to be heart-healthy. All of this from one article.
Before we go any further, isn’t it crazy that one single article can change something so substantial?
Anyway…let’s fast forward to 2016 where things start to get interesting.
You Weren’t Supposed To Know This Part
A UCSF researcher named Cristin Kearns started digging through some old industry archives. Archives that no one was supposed to find…
She found over 1,500 pages of internal documents from the Sugar Research Foundation (SRF), the sugar industry's trade group at the time. When food has its own trade group, this should already be a red flag.
As you might’ve guessed, documents showed something pretty shocking…
The Sugar Research Foundation had paid those three Harvard scientists $6,500 to write that review. In today's money, that's around $50,000.
Before we go on, yes…$50,000 is a lot of money. I wouldn’t turn it down if you decided to give it to me. But $50,000 to change the course of nutrition for half a century!? That’s CRAZY.
To make matters worse, the SRF didn't just fund it. They handpicked which studies the scientists were allowed to look at, then reviewed the drafts, and had a clear goal going in. Control the narrative and keep sugar's reputation clean by pointing the finger somewhere else.
This was able to happen because in 1967, medical journals didn't require researchers to say where their funding came from. So no one who read that article had any idea who was actually behind it.
One of those three scientists, Dr. Mark Hegsted, went on to help write the very first U.S. Dietary Guidelines in 1977. Remember the food pyramid with bread and grains as the base? They recommended you need 6-11 (11!!!) servings of bread, pasta, and cereal every day. And you can see the result of that in the diabetes rates, obesity numbers, and the carb-heavy plates we all grew up eating.
The worst part about all of this is, it was never about making you healthier. It was all about money.
What This Means For You Now
If you’re blown away this happened and frustrated people could do that, good. You can join my club. And more importantly know that it’s up to you to take control of your health because no one will care about it as much as you can and will.
But bribery aside, you've been told for decades that the path to a healthier heart is less fat. Less red meat, more cereal, margarine and vegetable oil instead of butter.
And you've probably noticed that following that advice hasn't made you feel any better. I hate sharing anything that could make you fearful because my goal is to empower you but…heart disease is still the number one killer of women in the US.
This is after 50 years of being told to fear fat…that should tell you something.
Your energy is still low, your clothes still don't fit the way they used to, and you don’t feel like yourself. Something isn't adding up.
To be clear, I'm not here to tell you saturated fat is suddenly amazing for you and you should start eating sticks of butter. I don't think the answer sits at either side of extremes.
What I want you to take away is something simpler.
The Real Lesson In All Of This
Nutrition science is messier and more complicated than most headlines make it sound. The “one-single villan” is never fully true. It wasn't fat, it isn't sugar, and it isn't carbs.
The best advice that has actually held up across decades, across cultures, and through my experience coaching women over the past 10 years is pretty boring.
Eat more real food and less processed food. Prioritize protein, eat enough fiber, and don't be afraid of natural fats like butter and egg yolks. Move your body and lift something heavy a few times a week.
But the problem is what works isn’t a headline that sells. Nobody's paying me $50,000 to publish this. Which is usually when you know it works.
I like for these to be educational AND actionable so here’s what you can do with this:
What To Do This Week
Remember that real butter, eggs, and red meat in reasonable amounts aren't going to give you heart disease…and a piece of fruit isn't either.
Focus on what the research has been clear about for 40 years.
30-40+ grams of protein at each meal, fiber from vegetables, fruits, and starches, and strength training a few times a week.
Always be willing to question what you hear when it comes to health and fitness.
And know that what your grandma ate was probably what you should eat.
And know this…the frustration you've felt trying to follow confusing, conflicting advice over the years has nothing to do with you. It’s never been your fault. You’re trying your best with what you’ve been given.
The truth is that a lot of the advice was wrong to start with.
Your friend and coach,
Ben Miknis
P.S. I’m going to keep this myth-busting trend going next week by going into an article all about cholesterol. Is it as bad as they say, how the myth got started, and why you might actually want MORE of it? Reply back with any questions you have around cholesterol and I’ll make sure to answer them.
