Fat fights back

Dear Reader, Today, I have some fantastic news. The so-called "experts" who perennially demonize all types of fat are FINALLY starting to lose ground. Yes--fat is fighting back and taking no prisoners (now there's an image). And I couldn't be happier. I've been saying for years that we need to eat fat. Our bodies require it in order to make brain cells, lubricate our joints, synthesize vitamins, and keep us full (and those are just a few of fat's critical functions in the body). There's tons of research to support the role of fat in a healthy diet. But this new study, published in the journal Diabetologia, highlights one important benefit in particular. Researchers found that full-fat dairy products actually lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Previous research has linked consumption of dairy products with a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But most of those studies assumed this benefit came from the low-fat versions. (Need I remind them of what happens when you assume?) But this study showed, unequivocally, that only full-fat dairy is protective. Researchers found that people with the highest consumption of full-fat dairy products had a 23 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, the subjects in this study were eating a LOT of dairy. The group that saw the most protection against diabetes consumed more than eight (8!) portions of full-fat dairy products per day. That's a little extreme, even for me. But you really don't need to go overboard. The main point I want you to take away here is that giving up fat isn't the healthy choice so many people think it is. In fact, in this study, low-fat dairy products didn't appear to have any effect on diabetes risk one way or the other. So why bother? Opting for low-fat won't make you healthier. And while this study didn't expose it, low-fat "foods" (and I use that term very loosely) have a dark side no one--except me--wants to talk about. You see, by nature, animal foods like meat and dairy contain fat. When you remove that fat, you're turning a real, whole food into a processed, fake food. And to make matters worse, when manufacturers remove fat, they almost always add sugar. So it's no wonder all those low-fat foods (including dairy) haven't been the magic bullet "experts" led us to believe they would be. The fact is, since the advent of low-fat, reduced-fat, and fat-free foods, obesity rates have skyrocketed. And diabetes has gone up with it. Now you know why.