Saturated Fat May Save Your Life (ISBN 0941599493)

Saturated Fat may save your life:
I wish I could have read this book seven years ago. I have just read this book a month ago and have embarked in a more saturated diet using Coconut Oil and can already feel a tremendous difference in terms of energy and well being. Bruce Fife has a very easy way to write that will save the reader a lot of trouble going through the scientific literature on this highly controvertial subject. His presentation, however, leaves no margin for any doubt anymore. Unless you want to continue suffering from low thyroid function, excess oxidation leading to cancer development and an array of other ailments you have to change your diet to a more healthy alternative and that includes coconut oil, grass fed milk butter, olive oil, etc... I am indebted to this book and its life changing recommendations.

The wisdom of Nature:
This book presents its evidence with impeccable logic, showing why saturated fat is essential for good health. At the same time, the dangers of using polyunsaturated fats (so popular today) are clearly revealed through the detailed descriptions of what actually happens to these fats inside our bodies. The overall picture that emerges is not very flattering to the natural health industry, which has been aggressively promoting polyunsaturated oils as being the healthiest. Therefore, no one should be surprised when this book is attacked by those, who have a vested interest in keeping up the status quo of the industry. The objective reader, however, will find this book an invaluable addition to the growing evidence that man's cleverness can never compete with the wisdom of Nature. And personal experience serves as the best validation for all the points raised in the book. We have incorporated coconut oil into our daily diet, and the difference it has made has been nothing short of astonishing. Everyone can put this to the test.

"Not an M.D., not a D.O., not even a Ph.D.!":
The thing I love about trolls, is that they are so good at providing simple examples of logical falacies. The title of this review is a quote from the earlier review, "Lies and the lying liars..." The reviewer does a good job of explaining the degrees that the author doesn't have, while ignoring the one that he does. An ND degree, or Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, is an advanced degree given out by only a handful of schools. Its requirements are just as stringent as any other advanced degree. Second point: The mechanism in which serum very low density cholesterol participates in the formation of atherosclerotic plaques is well understood (The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to Brown and Goldstein in 1985 on the basis of this discovery.) There is also a whole lot of research that refutes the idea that dietary cholesterol has ANY relationship to serum cholesterol, or that serum cholesterol is the only or even most important factor in predicting heart disease (In fact, several studies have shown that serum cholesterol corrolates rather strongly to age, which is an independent risk factor for heart disease.) Finally, if you are interested in the subject, buy the book, if for no other reason than it presents a valid hypothesis that is rarely talked about. Don't dismiss the work based on the authors credentials (Which are actually pretty good.) And don't dismiss the idea based on a popular competing theory (Neither is bulletproof.)

Very thorough, Excellent:
Shame on one of the reviewers who gave this book 1 star and was very inappropriate in their commentary at that! I happen to not only have the higher credentials of Nutrition (PhD) but also teach it. I was very curious to read this book...being in a field that is constantly changing its messages can be rather frustrating...but then again, if people were trained to critically review the literature, they wouldn't accept the Lipid Hypothesis on blind faith. One outstanding statement this author presents is this: When someone tells you such and such a food is bad...have them explain the mechanism to you as to why that is. They will not be able to! I have found that even trained, degreed Registered Dietitians cannot explain the metabolism of lipoproteins, cholesterol, etc. when asked, yet they give out recommendations to people. It is true, as the author states, and as I see in my own profession, sadly, medical and nutritional professionals utter statements mindlessly like mantra without even considering the science behind these statements. This author presents the science of fat metabolism correctly, supporting it with scientific evidence. This is enough to allow any logical person to question the mantra-like statements, "cholesterol is bad". In any event, it is by now a well known fact, and not some novel work by this author, that of people with "low" cholesterol, half of them will have a heart attack (my own father being such a case). I still am baffled when I go to my own doctors who repeat the statement that cholesterol is bad and refuse to even review the scientific papers I have in hand to show them peer-reviewed evidence otherwise. People, as this author states and explain clearly, it is inflammation and oxidzied LDL that poses the greatest threat to a heart attack. Get a CRP test and look at your cholesterol RATIO not the whole number. I especially liked the review this author made about Flax seed and omega 3 fatty acids in general. One of the most interesting is the actual proper use of flax seed (but I won't spoil the fun...get the book!) This is the most thorough handling of the subject I have found, especially where the practical advice is given. I don't see where this author recommends HIGH FAT diet. He doesn't....he recommends a different ratio of fats. I myself had always been thin, active and eating diets high in fruits, vegetables, and polyunaturated fats (just like I was taught). It wasn't until I started gaining weight like crazy within the last few years, still eating "healthy low fat", constantly being sick and fatigued that I decided to thoroughly rethink nutrition and really start delving into the medical and nutrition literature. If i was going the "right" things...why did I feel so awful? (Incidentally, they don't teach you EVERYTHING in school...exactly as this author states...we don't touch (or just very slightly) medium chain fatty acids in the texts...you need to delve into the medical literature for that). Since I have changed the ratio of fats in my diet (avoiding omega 6 by making my own salad dressings with olive oil), not going out to eat as much (hence avoiding TRANS FAT)and making my own foods, buy organic meat, and substitute mostly coconut oil for the previous vegetable oils I have been cooking with...my cholesterol dropped from 270 to 200, while my HDL soared from 30 to 56 in 3 months time. I have stopped gaining weight and finally am losing some. What was thought to be hypothyroidism, has turned into "normal" levels, having doctors scratch their heads as to my case being an "anomaly" (how did she do that without medication???), I am not as irritable, I sleep better and I have energy now to work through the afternoons without feeling sleepy and having to take a nap when I get home from work. I don't get sick anymore...and neither do my children. Their extreme eczema has been cured (no more expensive, ineffective and dangerous steroid creams), and if they are coming down with a cold, I up the coconut oil use...and it never develops into a full blown cold. I can go on and on about the health benefits we have experienced in our household. My own two tidbits...working in the medical profession I have seen first hand how allopathic medicine treats symptoms with drugs that lead to more symptoms that need more drugs, etc. The whole person is not considered. These days, doctors don't have the TIME to consider the person as a whole due to our "stellar" insurance providers. They are not TRAINED the way they used to be either, now they are trained like glorified mechanics. It is up to us to put in the proper food into our bodies to retain our health, or improve it whatever the case may be. I found this book to be excellent, backed up with medical literature (it's not that hard to find...you just have to be open to accepting it), and an easy read. If it's been good enough to recommend to my family and friends and seen their improvements in their own health, it'll be good enough for you too. Nutrition and exercise is where it's at: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure...and I am proud to say that as I am reaching the middle years, I feel better and more energized than I ever did in my 20's!

Lies and Lying Liars Who Publish Them!:
Can anyone ever read through all the pure lies that exist in the health care literature? Now we have some nut case Naturetic Doctor (whatever that is; this clown is NOT an M.D. people, not even a D.O. or a Ph.D!) telling us that cholesterol is good and so is saturated fat! Do these so-called experts (yeah, right) look for every health information breakthrough and write a book championing the exact opposite view? With all the medical information available to us about cholesterol (HDL and LDL and VDRL fractionation, etc.) and its harmful effects, someone still has the chutzpah to write (or publish) this tripe? People: if you want to read a health book that will provide you with sound scientific/medical facts that is supported by research from respected institutions - THIS BOOK IS NOT IT! Read something from Dean Ornish, Kenneth Cooper, or Barry Sears. This book should never have been allowed to pollute the information pool that we have to wade through to get to a sound nutritional plan. It's ridiculous and inane to assert that cholesterol and saturated fats are going to save your life...yeah, sure they are! M.D. in the Real World