10/16/08 Good beef and fat part II

Yesterday I told you some good news about dietary fat consumption. I'm Jeff Keane; I'll be back in one minute to tell you more and one reason fat has such a negative image. Nutritionists have frowned on dietary fat intake for years. In a Western Farmer-Stockman article by Alan Newport, Al Sears, M.D. and owner-operator of a health and wellness clinic in Florida sheds a little light on the basis of fat's bad rap. In 1953, Ancel Keys at the University of Minnesota made comparisons of death rates from heart disease with high fat intake in six countries. Only trouble was, Mr. Keys had data from 22 countries but only used countries that had the numbers to support his theory. For example, Mexico and Finland consumed about the same amount of fat, but Finland's heart disease death rate was multiplied by seven over Mexico. Also, Mexicans eat 27 times more fat than the Japanese but only have one-sixth the heart disease. Possibly that flawed research in 1953 could be one reason eating dietary fat has been such a no-no for so many years. Maybe it was just my perception but it sure seemed like beef and beef fat got the worst from the fat haters. Fact is beef is good for your body  it is an excellent source of protein and fat. Remember from yesterday's talk, fat is one of the body's basic building blocks while protein makes your body want to build muscle and tells it that times are good and there is no need to store fat. I believe beef in moderation with the rest of a balanced diet is just right. I'm Jeff Keane. Western Farmer-Stockman October 2008