Fat came under scrutiny in the 1960s when the sugar industry paid Harvard researchers to publish a review on sugar, fat and heart disease. The sugar industry funded the research to cover up warning signs which emerged in the 1950s that sugar causes heart disease. Shifting the blame away from sugar, the researchers singled out saturated fat as the cause of heart disease. From that, the food industry promoted the low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet. This misleading nutrition advice was touted as the healthiest diet to prevent heart disease.

   Food manufactures flooded the market with processed foods containing hydrogenated fats and processed sugar. The replacement of saturated fats in the diet with trans fats and sugar resulted in epidemic rates of obesity and its related health complications. Rates of diabetes, heart disease and cancer have risen since Americans adopted the low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet.

   Fortunately, the truth about fat has been uncovered in recent years. Science is continually confirming the benefits of incorporating healthy fats into the diet. Healthy dietary fats can help people lose weight, reduce inflammation, boost energy, improve brain health and extend lifespan.

   Two recent studies completely debunked the arguments for a low-fat, high-carb diet. Other studies have confirmed the health benefits of following a low-carb diet rather than a low-fat diet. In addition to weight loss, studies also show that low-carb, high-fat diets reduce inflammation, regulate blood sugar levels and reduce triglycerides while raising HDL cholesterol levels. For this to happen, you must incorporate healing fats, rather than killer fats into your diet.

   Today, new food ingredients and pharmaceutical drugs undergo testing, clinical trials and other safety checks before being sold for human consumption. That was not always the case as foods and ingredients that have been used by enough people or have been around long enough can be approved for use without a formal premarket approval process based on their past usage.

   Seed oils entered into usage during a time of minimal food regulation. The concern was whether these products were being labeled accurately, not whether they were fit for human consumption. The modern FDA wasn’t established until the passage of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938, and the first version of today’s GRAS (designated as safe) list came into being in 1958. Corn, cottonseed, peanut, safflower, refined soybean and refined sunflower oils were being consumed before this, so automatically met the criteria to be recognized as safe.

   Canola oil is an exception, first produced in 1974. However, it was ruled to be in wide enough use to merit a safety pass. Canola and other seed oils never underwent rigorous safety testing for premarket approval. The science that’s emerged since their widespread adoption has plenty to say about their toxicity and safety.

   The most common sources of unhealthy fats are man-made saturated fats and highly processed unsaturated fats. Unsaturated processed oils, such as vegetable oil, canola oil and corn oil, oxidize easily and are never healthy. These fats are not only highly inflammatory, but also offer zero benefits to the human body.

   Hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated (trans) fats top the list of toxic fats. Common hydrogenated fats include hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated cottonseed, palm, soy and corn oils. Manufactures use cheap oils, such as soy, corn and canola to create margarine and shortening. Consumption of these fats is associated with cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, immune system dysfunction, low-birth-weight babies, birth defects, decreased visual acuity, sterility, difficulty in lactation and problems with bones and tendons.

   Most oils sold in the U.S. are refined vegetable oils which are highly processed and oxidize easily. These oils include canola, corn, vegetable, grapeseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower, rice bran, cottonseed, sesame and peanut. There are serious health risks associated with GMO foods, including immune system malfunction, accelerated aging, changes in the gastrointestinal system (leaky gut) and faulty insulin regulation.

   Vegetable oil and seed oil are often used interchangeably but actually have different meanings. Vegetable oils are any oils or fats derived from crops, including fruits, grains, nuts and seeds. Seed oils are a particular category of vegetable oils that are derived from seeds.

   Oils like canola oil are very high in inflammatory Omega 6 fat content. Inflammation is the main source of heart disease and is what makes cholesterol stick to the walls of the arteries. The following is how processed oils impact the heart.

   Calcification of Arteries: Vegetable oils can damage your arteries and increase calcification of your arteries directly by way of its content of dihydro-vitamin K1.

   Linoleic Acid and LDL Cholesterol Oxidation: Research suggests that oxidation in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol strongly contributes to developing atherosclerosis.

   Linoleic Acid and Atherosclerosis: While previous studies have shown oxidized LDL can lower triglycerides, which some researchers consider positive for cardiovascular health, these researchers concluded that longer-term oxidized linoleic acid consumption could lead to atherosclerosis.

   Linoleic Acid Studies Showing Increased Rates of Cardiovascular Death or Death from All Causes: Studies suggest that instead of the expected benefits of seed oil consumption, the opposite occurred and compliance with the high linoleic acid diet likely increased the risk of death in spite of cholesterol reduction. The only diet and lifestyle factors that were found to be more dangerous than increased vegetable oil consumption were heavy smoking and severe obesity.

   High Linoleic Acid Intakes Promote Body Fat Accumulation: Linoleic acid, the predominant fatty acid in vegetable oils, may also contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease by making fat tissue more insulin sensitive, causing it to take up more glucose from the blood.

   Vegetable Oils Contain Trans Fat; Man-made trans fats directly contribute to cardiovascular disease. Hydrogenated fats are the most significant sources of trans fats in the diet.

   There are fats you should be consuming for heart health. They are the following.

   Omega 3 Healthy Fats: These are found in fatty fish such as salmon and sardines and also in walnuts and some seeds, like chia seeds. When in correct balance with omega-3 fats, omega-6 fats are healing fats. The ideal ratio with omega-3 fats should be between 4:1 and 1:1.

   Monounsaturated Healthy Fats: Foods rich in this are olives and olive oil, nuts and nut butters and avocados and avocado oil. Consuming these fats can protect you from heart disease.

   Saturated Healthy Fats: These are found in animal fats such as grass-fed beef and dairy and in coconut, palm and MCT oil.