The NY Times “Eat” section recently had an article titled ‘How Beef Tallow Made a Comeback’, asking in the subhead ‘When McDonald’s stopped frying with beef tallow in the 1990s, most people saw it as a win for America’s health. What changed?’. The short answer, in terms of the science of the relative benefits of saturated animal fats like tallow and lard versus the unsaturated (olive oil) and poly-unsaturated (several types of vegetable oil) fats, nothing. What has changed, at least to some degree including among the restauranteurs cited, is people’s opinions and beliefs. One of them ‘said he felt a “moral and ethical obligation” to change his menu earlier this year…after reading that seed oils, like the canola oil he used to cook his fries and tortilla chips, carried potential harms. Tallow, he said, made for a healthier, more “natural” frying oil.’
There is a lot to unpack here. First is whether “seed oils” carry potential harms. Where did he read it? A reliable source? A wackjob? An earlier “Eat” piece, in January (link in the previous paragraph) was called ‘Are Seed Oils Actually Bad for You?’. It concluded that, new (not yet confirmed when the article appeared) Secretary of Health and Human Services ‘Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and others, claim they’re harming our health but the evidence suggests otherwise.’ In both articles, accomplished and respected nutrition scientists dispute this claim, and emphasize the increased risk of heart disease (and cancer) from animal fats like tallow and lard. There are physicians in the US, certainly here in Tucson, who dispute the idea that saturated fats are bad for you in terms of causing a higher risk of heart disease, but they are a distinct minority. There are at least a couple of research studies indicating they are not, but hundreds indicating that they are.
‘In 2002, a review study raised the question of whether consuming foods with high levels of omega-6 fatty acids relative to omega-3 fatty acids (a ratio typical of many seed oils) might increase inflammation in the body. “But I’ve gone through these papers and there’s not a single shred of evidence that this is actually true,” Dr. [Walter] Willett [Harvard School of Public Health] said. “This is all theoretical.”’
It should go without saying (but apparently doesn’t) that it is illegitimate to pick and choose the research you cite based not on its quality or methods but on whether it gets the results you already agree with. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends diets with lower levels of saturated and higher levels of unsaturated fats, but critics say that this recommendation is tainted because AHA got money from Procter and Gamble, which manufactures Crisco, which contains both saturated and unsaturated fats and is not actually a particular favorite choice in the polyunsaturated sphere. While the appearance of bias/corruption always can exist when money is involved (see my piece from August 20, 2010 The AAFP, Coca-Cola, and Ethics: Serving the public interest?), it does not necessarily, or usually, mean the research supporting recommendations is flawed. P&G denies any association, but much more important is the breadth and consistency of the research supporting the use of unsaturated fats.
The other big issue is ”natural”. This one is huge. People of all political stripes love “natural”. It sounds so – well, natural! If it’s natural, it must be good – or at least better – right? Well, first of all, for this discussion, seed oils are also natural. They are, indeed, usually processed, but there is nothing in that processing that would make them less healthful, or natural. Tallow and lard when sold commercially are purified as well. A lot of stuff that is natural can be good for you, but a lot of stuff can also be bad for you. Many people advocate for the use of herbal remedies (natural, right?) and in fact many plants do have physiologic effects that can treat symptoms and diseases. Some have been the basis of commercially-produced medicines, e.g., aspirin from willow bark, digitalis from foxglove, colchicine from autumn crocus (Drug prices and corporate greed: there may be limits to our gullibility, December 27, 2015). Even in these cases the standardization of dose is much better in commercially produced drugs (and I am no fan of pharmaceutical companies or their practices, especially advertising and pricing). How many leaves of foxglove is good for your heart and how much is going to kill you (digitalis has a very narrow therapeutic:toxic ratio)? And there are many other natural things that are not good for you…I do not recommend rubbing poison ivy on your skin! Tobacco is a natural product, and Native people used it to treat wounds, as well as smoked it. Respecting those traditions and putting it on wounds, or especially smoking it, may not be the best thing for your health.
One thing that is sometimes cited as an indication of what natural things are good is the behavior of other animals. This is worth observing, but it is also worth noting that people are not the same as other animals, and the fact that they like something doesn’t mean it is god for people (or even for them!):
‘Mathaus Myga, 37, who owns a German takeout restaurant in Wisconsin, started frying his pork and chicken schnitzel in locally sourced beef tallow a year and a half ago….When Mr. Myga returns home after a day of frying with tallow, his two dogs lick his fingers. “They would never do that with rapeseed oil,” Mr. Myga said, referring to a common vegetable oil. “These are animals that have natural instincts.”’
I don’t know about Mr. Myga’s dogs, but the things my dogs’ natural instincts lead them to eat are not always things I’d recommend to people. Horse droppings are one of their favorites!
You can believe whatever you want. You can act on those beliefs in living your life (as long as they don’t hurt others). You can prepare your food based on those beliefs. But this does not necessarily make what you believe true. Finding “an article” by a reputable researcher that supports your belief is not a legitimate scientific approach, it is cherry-picking. To know what the science actually says, you have to form your belief based upon the overwhelming consensus of the research.
Of course, that is not a problem if you don’t believe in
science.