On ABC radio yesterday they reported on an Australian study by Lisa Wood that shows saturated fat can worsen asthma. The article is transcribed here: “Associate Professor Lisa Wood discusses a new finding that an unhealthy diet high in saturated fats and low fresh food can exacerbate asthma and make it more difficult to treat.”
This was a little surprising to me because it goes against all the recent research showing that saturated fats are highly beneficial to our health. So I did a little bit of research only to find that the article itself by Lisa Wood says the exact opposite of what ABC radio has reported it as saying.
Lisa Wood in her article says that polyunsaturated fat is what makes asthma worse. But by the time this makes it to an interview on ABC radio they are reporting that it is saturated fat that makes asthma worse! How does misinformation like this keep being propagated?
GONE VIRAL!
It gets worse. A google search on ‘fat worsens asthma’ shows this Australian study has gone viral. Everyone is quoting it around the world as fact…
The United Kingdom
“High saturated fat diets can render asthma inhalers ineffective.” (Daily Mail UK)
Australia
“Inflammatory foods include those high in saturated fat and refined sugar.” (SMH Australia)
“We have shown that a higher saturated fat intake causes airway inflammation.” (ABC Australia)
USA
“High-fat foods may trigger airway inflammation, study finds.” (LA Times)
And the list goes on. They are all spring-boarding off one another with this sensational news that saturated fat worsens asthma.
THE ORIGINAL RESEARCH SAYS THE OPPOSITE!
So I checked out the Author Lisa Wood’s research. She has written a book called “Asthma and inflammation, Nutrition and Physical Activity in Inflammatory Diseases”
So what does she say in the section on saturated fat and asthma?
It’s actually an increase in polyunsaturated fat that has lead to an increase in asthma, not saturated fat. Read it for yourself…
On the other hand Omega 3 fatty acids (found in grass-fed beef and fish) actually reduce asthma.
So what about saturated fat and asthma?
Well according to the book it’s inconclusive – read the quote below.
The first study of 1166 adolescents quoted in the paragraph above was a study of teenagers in Taiwan filling in a diary of the food they ate. So yes, you can probably guess where the saturated fat came from… I doubt these teenagers were eating grass fed beef or coconut oil, more likely junk food full of sugar and carbs as well as fat.
On the other hand, 6 studies show that saturated fat does not worsen asthma. And she states that Omega 3 fats found in butter and lard are good for asthma.
But what ends up getting reported all over the world? The opposite! And people continue on with the myth that all saturated fat is unhealthy.
There is always more to the story than meets the eye.
A diet containing good saturated fats such as olive oil, egg yolk, coconut oil and grass fed beef may be good for asthma, yet the media is in a frenzy spreading the exact opposite message.