In summary
* For decades, academic papers, popular articles and TV documentaries have condemned fat when they haven’t studied fat.
* The Seven Countries Study (1956-1970) deemed cake and ice cream “sources of fat” – which they are – but they are also sources of sugar and carbohydrate. Last week’s note reviewed a recent paper that tested the effect of a high-fat meal. The high-fat meal also contained sugar and carbohydrate.
* To condemn fat, fat needs to be isolated as the subject of a study. To evaluate if protein and/or carbohydrate are issues, they also need to be studied in isolation.
* As shared in last week’s note, the PhD I ended up doing was not my first thought. The first proposal was to do a laboratory experiment, which I referred to as “The Breakfast Experiment.” The more academic title would have been “An investigation into the effects of individual macronutrient breakfasts on post prandial blood cholesterol and glucose regulation – a pilot study.”
* This would have isolated the three macronutrients to assess their individual impact on blood glucose and blood lipids.
* Today’s note shares the background to my first PhD proposal, why it would have been important, what the experiment would have entailed, why it didn’t happen and what changes I would make if I did it today.
Zoe
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