Cons and health implications of high fat diets

[EmperorRyker]

So I've been searching a bit on pubmed, but can't really much on the subject of the high fat diets' impact on health, since I'm really unsure of where to start looking. Therefore I've turned to this section of hopes of maybe getting some answers on whether high fat diets, i.e. let's say fats being around 1 g/lb body weight or representing a 40% or more of one's daily intake, can be detrimental to one's health.

There's just so much conflicting evidence and I guess one's never gonna be able to find the perfect macro split as far as health is concerned, because you've got all these studies showing too much carbs negatively impact various health markers, such as cholesterol numbers etc.

But anyway, if any of you can give some answers, they'd be greatly appreciated.

[determined4000]

It is fine IMO as long as
1. Your protein intake is sufficient
2. You maximize the nutritional quality of your carbohydrates
3. The type of fat you are consuming is healthy. Loading up on processed/trans fat or animal fat can defintely be detrimental long term
nuts, oils, flax, fish vs bakery products, full fat dairy and fatty meats (ex. sausage)

Everyone has a baseline need for fat. What you add on top of that is just used for energy. If you can function well using fat as a primary energy source, then it comes down to whether or not you eat the right amount of calories

I am interested to hear others responses and information. Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

[HealthyGains]

Most places on earth with the highest life expectancies eat a high fat diet(>33%).

Check Sardinia, Italy.

[EmperorRyker]

Hmm, what's everyone's take on this recent study? Do you think it could at all be applied to humans?

Deterioration of physical performance and cognitive function in rats with short-term high-fat feeding
Andrew J. Murray, Nicholas S. Knight, Lowri E. Cochlin, Sara McAleese, Robert M. J. Deacon, J. Nicholas P. Rawlins, and Kieran Clarke

E-mail contact: ajm267(at)cam.ac.uk

Efficiency, defined as the amount of work produced for a given amount of oxygen consumed, is a key determinant of endurance capacity, and can be altered by metabolic substrate supply, in that fatty acid oxidation is less efficient than glucose oxidation. It is unclear, however, whether consumption of a high-fat diet would be detrimental or beneficial for endurance capacity, due to purported glycogen-sparing properties. In addition, a high-fat diet over several months leads to cognitive impairment. Here, we tested the hypothesis that short-term ingestion of a high-fat diet (55% kcal from fat) would impair exercise capacity and cognitive function in rats, compared with a control chow diet (7.5% kcal from fat) via mitochondrial uncoupling and energy deprivation. We found that rats ran 35% less far on a treadmill and showed cognitive impairment in a maze test with 9 d of high-fat feeding, with respiratory uncoupling in skeletal muscle mitochondria, associated with increased uncoupling protein (UCP3) levels. Our results suggest that high-fat feeding, even over short periods of time, alters skeletal muscle UCP3 expression, affecting energy production and physical performance. Optimization of nutrition to maximize the efficiency of mitochondrial ATP production could improve energetics in athletes and patients with metabolic abnormalities.—Murray, A. J., Knight, N. S., Cochlin, L. E., McAleese, S., Deacon, R. M. J., Rawlins, J. N. P., Clarke, K. Deterioration of physical performance and cognitive function in rats with short-term high-fat feeding.

[HealthyGains]

They don't say what they are feeding the rats... if it's GMO corn/soy or byproducts of those, I'd say go figure.

[gonna_be_big]

They don't say what they are feeding the rats... if it's GMO corn/soy or byproducts of those, I'd say go figure.

well thats just the abstract.. you would have to find the full study to find out all the specifics.

either way it takes like half a week for your body to adjust to keto diets... of course for a few days your body is going to struggle!!!

[EmperorRyker]

That high fat diet wasn't keto, not even low-carb, as far as I can gather from various articles reporting about the study. I haven't, however, found the full - and free - version of the study yet.

[determined4000]

That high fat diet wasn't keto, not even low-carb, as far as I can gather from various articles reporting about the study. I haven't, however, found the full - and free - version of the study yet.

If it was high fat and not low carb--> less protein --> less performance
Almost anytime you are substituting out protein for something else you will find this.

[Valjean]

I know how much everyone hates men's health, but a blurb in this months issue cited a study that said that people who had a 50%F-30%C-20%P (Yea not enough protein) had more energy working out because their bodies had become more adaptive of pulling energy out of glycogen stores and fat stores instead of having it constantly readily available.

It's in nutrition bulleton section if anyone else gets it.

[determined4000]

I know how much everyone hates men's health, but a blurb in this months issue cited a study that said that people who had a 50%F-30%C-20%P (Yea not enough protein) had more energy working out because their bodies had become more adaptive of pulling energy out of glycogen stores and fat stores instead of having it constantly readily available.

It's in nutrition bulleton section if anyone else gets it.

well since excess protein is converted to carb-like energy, that makes sense as long as protein is sufficient (which it still could be at 20% depending on total gram intake/lb bodyweight). If someone weighs 150lbs and takes in 250g protein, even if they are eating a low carb diet, they will essentially be getting another 100 (probably less after conversion) grams of "carb-like" energy so they won't be using fat as energy. Hence, why most low carb and Keto diets especially use fat as the dominant macronutrient.