acta est fabula plaudite

The anti-saturated fat spin machine continues to roll along. Thursday morning, Good Morning America reported on a paper by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/WellnessNews/americas-favorite-movie-snacks-thumbs/story?id=9119503). The paper (found here: http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/nahpopcorn.pdf) focused on movie theater cuisine, primarily the theater staple of popcorn as well as snack foods.
I will agree that the calorie values for the foods tested are downright shocking. However, that is almost to be expected. Is there really anything healthy served at a movie theater?

What really caught my attention in the story was the mention of coconut oil and the suggestion that coconut should be replaced by canola oil. The intimation is that coconut oil, because of its level of saturated fat, is harmful to use while canola oil would be better. It is this battle of the oils I want to examine.

One the one hand is the much maligned coconut oil, which is said to be bad because it has the highest level of saturate fat of any oil. However, based on the work of the Doctors Eades, Tim Ferriss highlights seven reasons to eat more saturated fat (http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/06/06/saturated-fat/):

1. Improved cardiovascular risk factors
2. Stronger bones
3. Improved liver health
4. Healthy lungs
5. Healthy brain
6. Proper nerve signaling
7. Strong immune system

Others have noted that coconut oil in particular is beneficial for heart disease, lowers Lp(a) (a better indicator of heart disease than cholesterol), is an antimicrobial (even able to treat MRSA), and can be a poison antidote (http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/coconut-oil-studies.html). For more information on the health benefits of dietary fats, please read Dr. Mary Enig's "The Skinny on Fats".

One the other hand is canola oil. I personally like the term "The Great Con-ola". In an article entitled "Canola Oil: The Truth" the Canola Council of Canada makes the bold claim that "Canola oil is the healthiest of all commonly used cooking oils." While the rest of the article is not technically inaccurate, it is mainly geared to combat urban legends about canola oil.

In my mind, just the description of the processing that goes into canola oil makes me want to avoid it:

The oil is removed by a combination of high temperature mechanical pressing and solvent extraction. Traces of the solvent (usually hexane) remain in the oil, even after considerable refining. Like all modern vegetable oils, canola oil goes through the process of caustic refining, bleaching and degumming--all of which involve high temperatures or chemicals of questionable safety. And because canola oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which easily become rancid and foul-smelling when subjected to oxygen and high temperatures, it must be deodorized. The standard deodorization process removes a large portion of the omega-3 fatty acids by turning them into trans fatty acids. Although the Canadian government lists the trans content of canola at a minimal 0.2 percent, research at the University of Florida at Gainesville, found trans levels as high as 4.6 percent in commercial liquid oil. The consumer has no clue about the presence of trans fatty acids in canola oil because they are not listed on the label. (http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/conola.html)

Follow that up with the statement "A large portion of canola oil used in processed food has been hardened through the hydrogenation process, which introduces levels of trans fatty acids into the final product as high as 40 percent" (http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/conola.html).

The mention of trans fat raises the issue that the research that indicted saturated fats never differentiated between natural saturated fats and man-made trans fats. Saturated fats became the scapegoat of the edible oil industry. The anti-saturated fat agenda started with Ancel Keys' famous Seven Countries Study, which stated that nations with the highest fat intake also had the high cardiovascular disease. That study though has received  much criticism on two counts. First, the original study include 22 countries, which had they all been included would have removed any correlation. Second, even when only counting the seven countries, the study only found correlation, not causation. In fact, even after four decades study after fails to find a link between fat intake and heart disease (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22116724).

I do not believe this media slight against saturated fat is founded. That does not mean I would condone the gorge-fest that is theater food.While I do not believe the calories in, calories out mindset, nothing good can come from eating a few thousand calories in a couple of hours. Also, anyone who knows me knows that I preach loudly against sodas in all forms. Soda increases risk of obesity as well as several diseases (http://www.squidoo.com/soda-demages).I believe the elimination of all sodas from one's diet is the single best decision you can make for your health. Also, cutting out refined sugars and processed foods is a great help. That does not leave much to eat in a movie theater.

So, the next time you decide to see a movie in a theater (and who can actually afford that in this economy), try to enjoy it without busting your diet.