Low-fat diets raise triglycerides

19. May 2007 William Davis (4)
Martin, a hospital employee, knowing that I fuss a great deal with lipids and lipoproteins, showed me his lipid panel because the result triggered a "panic value" for triglycerides at 267 mg/dl. He asked if he should go on a serious low-fat diet.

I asked Martin what he had for breakfast: a whole wheat bagel with no-added-sugar jam. Lunch: a turkey sub on whole grain bread, no mayonnaise. Snacks: baked chips, pretzels ("a low-fat snack!").

In years past, if person developed high triglycerides levels, a very low-fat diet was prescribed. Someone would come to the hospital, for instance, with abdominal pain from pancreatitis (an inflamed pancreas)due to the damaging effects of triglyceride levels >1000 mg/dl. For this reason, many people still believe that all instances of elevated triglycerides should be treated with a reduction in fat intake.

This is absolutely wrong. While a fat restriction may reduce triglycerides in genetically-programmed responses when triglycerides are >1000 mg/dl, lesser levels of high triglycerides of, say 250 or 300 mg/dl, do not respond to dietary fat restrictions as a sole strategy.

Yes, a reduction in unhealthy fats (saturated, trans, polyunsaturated) helps. But a reduction in fats of all sorts is not necessary and can, in fact, worsen the problem. We learned this lesson years ago with the Ornish diet and similar ultra low-fat approaches. When you reduce fat intake significantly to <10% of calories, triglycerides go way up. In those days, it wasn't uncommon to see triglycerides skyrocket past 200 or 300 mg/dl on these diets.

Why are triglycerides important? Triglycerides are an ingredient in creating the lipoproteins VLDL, IDL, small LDL. Elevated triglycerides trigger a drop in HDL, a shift towards small, ineffective HDL, and contribute to heightened inflammation. Higher triglycerides also tend to go hand in hand with lipoproteins that persist for extended periods (12-24 hours or longer) in the blood after a meal.

Triglycerides respond very nicely to a dramatic reduction in processed carbohydrates, especially wheat and corn. Of course, wheat is the bulk of the problem, since it has grown to occupy an enormous role in many people's diet, not uncommonly eaten 3,4, or 5 times per day in various forms, as it has in Martin's diet. Eliminating all sources of high-fructose corn syrup is also helpful, since high-fructose corn syrup shoots triglycerides way up. (Recall that high-fructose corn syrup is everywhere: ketchup, beer, low-fat or non-fat salad dressings, breads, fruit drinks, sports drinks, breakfast cereals, etc.)

Curiously, it is a fat that also powerfully reduces triglycerides in the form of fish oil. In the Track Your Plaque program, fish oil, taken at truly effective doses of 4000 mg per day or more (to provide at least 1200 mg EPA+DHA), is our number one choice after reduction of processed carbohydrates for reduction of high triglycerides.
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Comments (4) -

  • Bruce K

    6/10/2008 7:42:00 PM |

    _I asked Martin what he had for breakfast: a whole wheat bagel with no-added-sugar jam. Lunch: a turkey sub on whole grain bread, no mayonnaise. Snacks: baked chips, pretzels ("a low-fat snack!")._

    What do you think of Joel Fuhrman's approach? He would not allow people to eat bagels, jam, bread, chips, and pretzels. The base of his diet is veggies (half raw, half-cooked), then fruits, beans, potatoes, raw nuts, and raw seeds. Grains are at the top of Fuhrman's food pyramid.

    http://www.nutritionforwellness.org/img/food_pyramid.gif

    Also, when he says "whole grains", he means unbroken grains like brown rice, oatmeal, etc. Not flours, or pastas, or breads made with flour. The only breads he would allow are things like sprouted grain breads, made without any flour.

    Most people who eat a low-fat diet eat bad foods. They don't eat high quality foods. Dr. Fuhrman claims to lower triglycerides and improve all other health markers, because he stricly limits foods like flour, fruit juice, vegetable oils, sugar, etc. Maybe a low-fat diet based on grains (esp flours) will raise the triglycerides, but a low-fat diet based on vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and seeds (Fuhrman's) wont.

    Fuhrman emphasizes nutrient-density far more than people like Dr. Dean Ornish. Whole grain flours are very perishable and quickly turn rancid. Weston Price pointed this out, but most people didn't bother to listen and still don't. Here's an article about how whole grain flours cause sterility if they are stored for as little as 15 days, while flour and bread that is fresh-ground doesn't. How many are eating fresh flour? I would say <1%, maybe zero.

    http://eap.mcgill.ca/Publications/EAP35.htm

  • Anonymous

    7/1/2009 11:14:32 AM |

    Just a small correction - Dr Fuhrman's diet is not really low fat like Ornish/McDougall, the only similarity to those diets is the predominance of plant based foods.

    It eliminates/restricts saturated fat and plant oils but he is VERY pro 'good' fat in it's natural packaging i.e. nuts, seeds, avocado and fish oil in some cases (he prefers DHA from algae due to mercury in fish for most people and esp pregnant/lactating/babies but for high doses still recommends high quality fish oil especially for autoimmune patients). Re the nuts/seeds/avocado - in his weight loss strategy he does limit them but a minimum level is compulsory on a daily basis and he actively encourages people to have them while maintaining ideal weight i.e. can go very high if very skinny, lower if overweight but cannot eliminate them.

  • buy jeans

    11/3/2010 6:41:31 PM |

    Yes, a reduction in unhealthy fats (saturated, trans, polyunsaturated) helps. But a reduction in fats of all sorts is not necessary and can, in fact, worsen the problem. We learned this lesson years ago with the Ornish diet and similar ultra low-fat approaches. When you reduce fat intake significantly to <10% of calories, triglycerides go way up. In those days, it wasn't uncommon to see triglycerides skyrocket past 200 or 300 mg/dl on these diets.

  • jim

    8/26/2011 4:23:10 PM |

    Do saturated fats elevate triglyceride levels in the body?  Jim

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Drop the pretense

Drop the pretense

12. March 2007 William Davis (1)
Most hospitals maintain the "Saint _____" in their names, despite many having little or nothing to do with the church.

Out of 15 hospitals in my area, 13 are named after saints.

In my view, a more honest name would be something like "ABC Medical Enterprises, Inc." The profit motive, aggressive marketing tactics, and high CEO salaries would make better sense then. The trend to convert practicing physicians from professionals acting on behalf of patient welfare into paid employees would also be clearer.

Imagine Walmart were to change its name to "St. Mary's Emporium" Would it modify your perception of their business? I think it would. It would cause many people to believe that maybe their work was, at least in part, charitable and being done for the public welfare. But Walmart makes such pretense--they are in business for profit, just like all businesses.

It's time for the pretense to be dropped. Hospitals are cut-throat profit-seeking operations, operating under the guise of charitable, tax-free institutions. It's the farthest thing from the truth.
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  • Cindy

    3/13/2007 1:25:00 AM |

    Thank you!!! Personally, I'd like to see all hospitals non-profit. Here in NC they advertise on TV. They advertise the hospital, and they advertise their treatment "specialty" (ie cardiac care, bariatric surgery).

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For rapid success, try the "fast" track

For rapid success, try the "fast" track

14. November 2006 William Davis (1)
Have you tried fasting?

Before your eyes glaze over, let me tell you what I mean. I don't mean a water-only fast for two weeks while you drool over all the temptations around you and you feel sorry for yourself.

I also don't mean the juice fasts that some people use that turn into fruit juice fasts of pure sugar.

Here's another way to do it. Usually, 48 hours of doing this will yield several benefits:

--Weight loss of 1 lb. You will likely experience an even greater weight loss of 2-4 lbs, but much of this will be water loss.

--If you're like me and share a heightened sensitivity to sugars and carbohydrates (like wheat), you may find out just how awful you feel when you eat certain foods. Many people tell me they feel absolutely wonderful when they fast--clearer thinking, increased energy, improved mood. Not the constant gnawing urge to eat they expected.

--After your fast is over, you look back and realize just what large portions of food you were eating. You'll be content with smaller quantities--and enjoy it more.


The "fast" I've used successfully includes two foods:

1) Vegetable juices--that you either juice yourself or purchase. V8 or its equivalent works pretty well. Though purchased V8 is not the best, it's better than nothing and does work reasonably well. If you juice your own vegetable juices, watch out for the diarrhea if you're unaccustomed to vegetable juices. Four 8 oz glasses per day works well.

2) Soy milk--for a source of protein and modest quantity of sugar and fat. I like the Light Silk Soymilk (Vanilla) which contains 80 calories, 2 g fat (0.5 g monounsaturated), 7 g sugar, 6 g protein per 8 oz glass. Four 8 oz glasses of soymilk also work well. In my neighborhood, 8th Continent is another good choice.


Sip both of these throughout the day. Of course, drink water in unrestricted amounts.

What can you expect in your coronary plaque control/heart scan score reversal program? When the fast is over, a rise in HDL, reduction in small LDL, reduction in triglycerides, reduction in blood sugar and insulin, and a smaller tummy. This strategy can be useful to kick-start weight loss efforts or as a periodic way to maintain control over weight and lipid/lipoprotein patterns.


Nutritional Composition Silk Soymilk--Vanilla

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (240mL)
Servings per container 8 H/G OR 4 QT

Amount per Serving

Calories 70
Calories from Fat 20

% Daily Value
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Trans Fat 0g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.5g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 120mg 5%
Potassium 300mg 8%
Total Carbohydrates 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 6g
Protein 6g
Vitamin A 10%
Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 30%
Iron 6%
Vitamin D 30%
Riboflavin 30%
Folate 6%
Vitamin B12 50%
Magnesium 10%
Zinc 4%
Selenium 8%
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  • angel of clay

    3/30/2009 7:03:00 PM |

    The only downside of this would be for anyone who suffers from hypothyroidism. Soy is totally counterproductive to maintaining a person's proper thyroid level. Is there some other product that could be used as a substitute for soy milk?
    Thank you.

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