[bWhat are the good fats and the bad fats?[/b]

The link below will take you to a brief but informative article on heart health and fats:

http://atkins.com/helpatkins/faqs/fa...yourheart.html


Below is an excellent article on Good and Bad fats, from the Atkins Nutritionals web site:

http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/21-587266.html


Short articles from the Atkins Nutritionals web site:

Low Fat Diets and Gallstones:
Scientific evidence indicates that gallstones (responsible for more than 90 percent of gallbladder disease) form when fat intake is low. Why?
Gallbladders need to be kept active. Eating fat keeps the gallbladder working, which involves contraction for proper function; in fact, it will not contract without taking in fat. If the gallbladder isn’t processing fat, bile salts crystallize into stones. People with existing gallstones may have trouble with high-fat meals. You can follow a lower fat version of Atkins. Use fish, poultry, lean meats, low-fat cheese (in moderation) and lots of vegetables. Stay away from creamy salad dressing; instead use olive oil and vinegar or a mustard based dressing. Eat nuts only in moderation. Don’t fry foods, and use lean cuts of meat. Also avoid from processed meats such as bacon and sausage.


Doesn't a high-fat diet increase cancer risk?
During a recent European Conference on Nutrition and Cancer in Lyon, France, numerous studies under the heading European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) were presented. EPIC linked dietary factors and lack of exercise to an increased risk of cancer and supported the long-held belief that some food could increase the risk of cancer, while other foods have a protective effect. An epidemiological study of the diets of more than 500,000 people from 10 European countries, EPIC has confirmed once again that eating vegetables and fruits can lower the risk of cancer.

Preliminary results of EPIC have also raised questions about the long-held belief that eating red meat or other animal-based foods can increase the risk of cancer. The new data do not strongly support the red meat theory, although one study distinguished between processed and fresh meat, suggesting that meat processed with nitrates, rather than fresh meat, may be the culprit.

The conference presented many thought-provoking findings that will challenge the long-held misconceptions about fats, animal products and the excessive consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates. Such ongoing research continues to build the scientific underpinnings of the healthy lifestyle embodied in the Atkins Nutritional ApproachTM.


What about studies stating that high fat intake is detrimental to your health?
All the studies that state that high fat intake is detrimental to your health have been done in mixed diet settings where there was enough carbohydrate for the body to burn glucose (not fat) for energy. When fat is the primary fuel source, you metabolize fat instead of storing it, and it poses no health risk. There are no studies that have linked low carbohydrate, high fat eating programs to any health risk.