Seneff and the saturated fat argument

Stephanie Seneff argues tirelessly that substantive changes in lifestyle over the past 40 years, in particular, reduced sun exposure and avoiding dietary fat, have led to an almost unshakable belief that avoiding fat and sun are healthy. And even with a lot of sun exposure, if saturated fats and Vitamin D (which we get form saturated fats) is lacking, vital cholesterol will not be synthesized.    SS3.7,SS3.8. Part of that lifestyle is eating high amounts of high-glycemic index carbs, i.e., highly processed foods that digest quickly, and cause blood sugar to spike. This leads to insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes (part of what’s often referred to as “the metabolic syndrome,” also associated with high weight and abdominal fat).

Even in 2005, I wrote about some of this phenomena,

Seneff notes that Americans eat a lot of low-fat foods – yet fatty acids are essential for constructing the brain’s neural connections (although the brain itself only utilizes glucose for fuel) p 1 SS5. So this is what she then posits: What if the fat accumulation that one associates with obesity was the solution to a different problem – not enough saturated fat in the diet? What if obesity and the metabolic syndrome (abdominal weight gain, high LDL, TG s, blood sugar, and blood pressure – and low Vitamin D) was the result of the creation of massive fat cells so as to provide needed fat?

Seneff posits that obesity is the consequence of eating too little saturated fat -- for if, in fact, there is a fat deficit, then even more fat cells are needed ( for the vital functions that fat has in the body), and they actually will then proliferate. Getting sufficient essential fat is the problem. If deprived of saturated fat, the body will squirrel away as much fat, and also cholesterol, and vitamin D as possible. Why? Cholesterol is the precursor to Vitamin D, strongly implicated itself in fighting cancer and sepsis. That cholesterol’s important to Vitamin D supply can be seen with studies showing an increased risk of bone fractures for menopausal women with low levels of LDL. P 7 -- even to the extent that incidence of cancer has been shown to be lower in sunny places. The Vitamin D, produced by the skin when exposed to sun, shows a protective effect. P 7.