Eat Fat, Get Thin: Why the Fat We Eat Is the Key to Sustained Weight Loss and Vibrant Health: 5 (The Dr. Hyman Library)

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His premise is that we as a culture are obsessed with calorie counting and becoming thin… all the while struggling with various diseases and not seeming to make much progress. Here are a few things I took away from this book: you can lose weight on a high fat diet, as long you eat the right kinds, and as part of a healthy diet Coconut oil is extracted from the dried flesh of the coconut. Coconut oil is made up of 86 percent saturated fat, 6 percent monounsaturated fat, and 1.4 percent polyunsaturated fat. About half of the saturated fat in coconut oil is a rare, special type of saturated fat called lauric acid…In the body, lauric acid converts to monolaurin, one of the compounds found in breast milk that boost a baby’s immune system…It is like superfuel for your cells, your metabolism, your bones, and your brain…The saturated fat in coconut oil is aa very rate, very beneficial type called medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). These saturated fats actually reduce the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL and promote weight loss and can even heal fatty lover caused by obesity…In the body, MCTs convert easily into energy; therefore, very little MCT oil is stored as fat…This is how MCTs help you burn fat and lose weight…Look for coconut oil that is virgin, organic, cold-pressed, unrefined, and never deodorized or bleached. You can use expeller-pressed, unrefined coconut oil for cooking at up to 400F, so this is a go-to oil for high-heat stir fries, medium-high heat sautéing, and most baking.” -Ch8 Eat Fat, Get Thin also tends to withhold study nuances from the reader. An example of this is a study by Kennedy et al. In this study mice were placed onto 1 of 4 diets: a ketogenic diet (78.9% fat, 9.5% protein, and 0.76% carbohydrate), a typical chow diet (6.5% fat, 23.5% protein, and 56% carbohydrate), a high-fat, high-sugar “obesogenic diet” (24% fat, 24% protein, and 41% carbohydrate), and a calorie restricted diet (66% calorie restricted). The obesogenic diet group gained weight, the low-fat diet group appeared to maintain their weight, and the ketogenic and calorie restricted diet groups both lost about equivalent amounts of weight. Eat Fat, Get Thin decided to compare the keto group to the control group (which has a higher carb content than the keto group) as they specifically state that “weight loss was greater than in rats fed a high-carb diet, even though they ate exactly the same number of calories”. While the results of the study do support the weight loss claim we do note that the mice on the low-carb diet lost their weight from the nonfat component of their weight. So, although there was a difference in weight between the control diet and the keto diet mice there was no difference in body fatness. The significant change in weight is mentioned but the non significant change in fat is withheld from the reader. restricting calories makes your body perceive a starvation situation which makes you tired and hungry and slows down your metabolism – things we don’t want

Eat Fat, Get Thin: Why the Fat We Eat Is the Key to Sus… Eat Fat, Get Thin: Why the Fat We Eat Is the Key to Sus…

four types of fat: saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat PUFA (omega-3 and omega-6), and trans fats This is probably the healthiest smoothie in the whole world. After giving up sugar for long periods of time, I find that I don’t need to have sweet shakes in the morning. Instead, I crave nutrient dense foods that fill me up and keep me going for hours. This smoothie, from my new book Eat Fat, Get Thin, is the best way to start your morning. Add a few berries if you’d like it to be sweeter.When we looked for more recent studies and meta-analyses related to prostate cancer we found conflicting evidence. For example, a 2015 meta-analysis found no link between total fat and prostate cancer. However, in a more recent population level study published in 2019, known as the SABOR study, a relationship was observed between both total fat intake and saturated fat and the risk of developing prostate cancer. Although we do note that this study was published after Eat Fat, Get Thin was released. Another recent paper reviewed the current state of the literature and also highlighted that there is some disagreement in the literature. They found that most preclinical trials show a relationship between fat and prostate cancer while only some human trials demonstrate this relationship. They do however note that dietary patterns that are low in saturated fat (specifically, the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet) appear to have more reliable evidence for their efficacy in protecting against developing prostate cancer. Overall we found that for prostate cancer the connection with fat does appear to be conflicting as Eat Fat, Get Thin suggests. This reference received a score of 2, indicating that it offers some support for the claim. The study by Elnagar et al. evaluated the effects of a specific plant compound extracted from extra virgin olive oil on breast and prostate cancer cells in the lab. The purpose of the study was to try to find a possible reason why intake of extra virgin olive oil may provide protection from cancer on a cellular level. The paper by Escrich et al. is a review of studies related to olive oil and breast cancer and also discusses potential reasons why olive oil may be protective against the development of breast cancer, the paper largely focused on studies conducted in cell culture and animal models. However, neither of these papers suggest consuming “one to two tablespoons a day” as suggested by Eat Fat, Get Thin. Additionally, the effects of individual components of extra virgin olive oil and their effects on cells may not translate to humans due to a number of factors including diet complexity, bioavailability, etc. It is also important to note that these papers are primarily focused on breast cancer and do not talk about the other cancers listed by Eat Fat, Get Thin such as stomach, colon, or lung cancer and no other references are provided to support the claims for those types of cancer by the book. However, we would like to note that there is evidence that the Mediterranean diet, which uses plenty of olive oil, may be protective against a wide range of cancers. The high use of olive oil is often cited by researchers as a potential reason for the diet’s protective effects and was recently tested in a secondary analysis by the PREDIMED trial. Reference 5 Reference This reference received a score of 3, indicating that it offers moderate support for the claim. In this study mice were placed onto 1 of 4 diets: a ketogenic diet (78.9% fat, 9.5% protein, and 0.76% carbohydrate), a typical chow diet (6.5% fat, 23.5% protein, and 56% carbohydrate), a high-fat, high-sugar “obesogenic diet” (24% fat, 24% protein, and 41% carbohydrate), and a calorie restricted diet (66% calorie restricted). The obesogenic diet group gained weight, the low-fat diet group appeared to maintain their weight, and the ketogenic and calorie restricted diet groups both lost about equivalent amounts of weight even though the keto group consumed more calories. It is clear that Eat Fat, Get Thin is trying to compare the keto group to the control group (which has a higher carb content than the keto group) as the quote from Eat Fat, Get Thin states “weight loss was greater than in rats fed a high-carb diet, even though they ate exactly the same number of calories”. While the results of the study do support the weight loss claim we do note that the mice on the low-carb diet lost their weight from the nonfat component of their weight, likely water weight. So, although there was a difference in weight between the control diet and the keto diet mice there was no difference in body fatness. Therefore, this study actually raises some questions as to how beneficial the reduction in weight from nonfat tissue is for health. We would also like to clarify that the cited paper reports on an experiment in mice, not rats as claimed by Eat Fat, Get Thin. Overall (average) score for reference accuracy No grains, no exceptions. (I could totally see why giving up gluten would be advisable. But this includes healthy grains like quinoa, teff, steel-cut oats, brown rice.)

Eat Fat, Get Thin: Why the Fat We Eat Is the Key to Sustained Eat Fat, Get Thin: Why the Fat We Eat Is the Key to Sustained

that a low fat/high carb diet is a human-made disaster comparable to wars and economic meltdowns and to natural disasters like hurricanes, the Ice Age and asteroid impacts; He says, “A hundred years ago less than one in one hundred Americans were obese and coronary heart disease was unknown.” It was hardly unknown, although it was admittedly less prevalent and may not have been diagnosed with that name. He is correct that obesity has become a serious problem and is a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, and a number of other illnesses; but he goes too far when he claims Eat Fat, Get Thin’s references received a score of 1, indicating poor support for the book’s claims. The majority of the studies cited by the book do not support its claims. In some cases Eat Fat, Get Thin appears to mischaracterize, overstate, or withold elements of the studies that are cited. Criterion 1.3. How well does the strength of the claim line up with the strength of the evidence? Saturated fats work best for losing weight. In a randomized, double-blind trial comparing the effects of coconut oil and polyunsaturated vegetable (soybean) oil in women with abdominal obesity, women who consumed coconut oil had a significant reduction in waist circumference (with no change in cholesterol levels). Women taking vegetable oil had no change in their waist size and had a statistically significant increase in LDL cholesterol and reduction in HDL cholesterol (Lipids 2009;44:596–601). The recipes are interesting, but to be honest I don’t know how much use I’ll be able to make of them. Many of them include nuts or milk from nuts, and I am allergic to ALL nuts. Tree nuts, coconuts, peanuts – all that stuff. So the number of recipes I can use is pretty small. As well, the recipes use lots of ingredients. Even if lots of them are spices, it’s quite daunting.The diet recommended by Eat Fat, Get Thin is likely to cause some degree of weight loss, but we found little evidence that it will improve other major health conditions targeted by the book. I almost wish that Eat Fat, Get Thin had been divided into two books. One book presenting the historical overview, the scientific research, and the essential philosophy behind the concept of eating fat to lose weight. The other book presenting his 21 day weight-loss plan. The first book which I imagine consisting of Part I and Part II (How Did We Get Into This Big, Fat Mess? and Separating Fat From Fiction), I would have given three stars. The second book which I imagine consisting of Part III and Part IV (The Eat Fat, Get Thin Plan and Eat Fat, Get Thin Cooking and Recipes), I would have given one star--or perhaps two--if I'm generous.