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The Sugar Industry's War on Fat


We've been raised to read the label of foods, which is a positive when being fully educated in nutrition. A huge misconception that most of us have fallen into is that fat is bad. While this is true when taking in an excess, it is not entirely true. We need to be educated of different types of fat and how they're processed by the body. Also, how nutritional science is influenced by the food industry.

Unlike America, Europe has laws against the use of GMOs. Many countries have banned the use of them, but that's an article for another time. Among other regulations, they haven't been taught like America that fat is the enemy - especially saturated fat. Europe eats the most saturated fat, yet has the lowest risk of heart disease. While researching this topic more, I have learned that there is an actual phenomenon called the 'French Paradox', which is the paradoxical fact that French people eat more saturated fat, yet have a low risk of heart disease. This paradox led to studies that expanded across Europe, showing that the entire continent has a lower risk of dying from heart disease while eating more saturated fats than any other area. The reason for this fact is that saturated fat has nothing to with heart disease.

Let's take a step back and reread the above sentence. I thought that saturated fat was the artery clogging poison that was certain to lead to a heart attack? False. What happened is that there was a feud between industries, and one certainly won. This industry was the sugar industry.


In 1977 there was an epidemic sweeping across America and it was obesity. It was recommended by the American Heart Association that all Americans switch to a low-fat diet with certain guidelines. It just so happens that shortly after this switch, America became the country leading the obesity charts. The reason for this was that the sugar industry coated the wallets of some officials to release guidelines for a low-fat diet and to begin a war on fats. It is documented that in the 1960s the sugar industry paid scientists to link heart disease to saturated fats instead of sugar. You can read the full historical analysis of internal industry documents here. In short, the Sugar Research Foundation paid three Harvard scientists $50,000 to publish a review of research on the link of heart disease and fat opposed to sugar. It is the sad truth that the food industry has always influenced nutritional science, even today.


Anyways, when you remove the fats from food it becomes very bland and we don't receive the energy our bodies need from the fats. Therefore, there is a dilemma. If we make low-fat foods, how will they taste good and provide energy? Sugar! This is where sugar began to be added to food to enhance the flavor while removing fats.

Since 1977, there have been many grants given to universities to study the low-fat diet. Within these studies you will find that the guidelines proposed lead to no weight loss. It coincidentally had zero effect on cardiovascular disease as well.

While there are fad diets that come in and out like seasons, one has stuck around for some time. It may be new to you, but one that many have been switching to is that of a ketogenic diet. This diet consists of high protein and high fat while fasting for longer period of time and reducing carbohydrates. Since our bodies are designed to consume fat (cheeses, avocados, nuts, etc.) and not sugar in high quantities (sodas, snacks, 5% real fruit juice drinks, etc.) our bodies can go longer without eating. Fat burns much slower than sugar due to insulin dumps, so we feel fuller for longer periods of time.

Carbohydrates are broke down in the body as sugars. So although bread tastes great, it is processed similarly to sugary snacks. Carbs also cause an insulin dump that lead to a crash (reduced energy). In many studies it has been proven that individuals switching to a low-carb, high-fat diet lose twice as much weight than those eating a low-fat, calorie restricted diet (of course results will vary).

There has been a dramatic increase for diabetes in the last 20 years due to this insulin dumps (referred to above). As we used to cook with butter and lard, we then switched to vegetable oils and trans fats as the basis for how we prepare meals. A little known fact is that vegetable oils contain high amounts of trans fats. Trans fat is a risk for heart disease. It is the worst type of fat that we can consume due to raising our LDL (bad) and lowering our HDL (good) cholesterol. Trans fat is formed when the industrial process adds hydrogen to vegetable oil. This oil reaches room temperature, which gives it a longer shelf life. Vegetable oil is often found in the most fattening foods, such as : fried foods, dough, creamers, margarine, baked goods and general snacks (chips, etc.).


While I am not a nutritionist, I have always taken nutrition very seriously due to being an athlete my entire life (especially a wrestler). I am however a writer, which in turn is a researcher. I will never tell you how you should and shouldn't eat, but I am simply telling you facts. In this case, it is how the sugar industry paid scientists to release false studies of how fats are bad, which allowed sugar to be added into more and more foods. So now that you know different types of fats and the real harm to the human body (sugar), read those nutritional labels more carefully. Stay healthy my friends.

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