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Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), from the American Soybean Research Clinic (LRC) trials and as director of one of the LRC Association (ASA) and other members of the edible oil industry, centres. These LRC trials were the basis for the 1984 NIH and from those in the medical and scientific community who — Cholesterol Consensus Conference, which in turn spawned the learned their misinformation from groups like CSPI and ASA. I National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). This program would like to review briefly the origins of the anti-saturated fat, encourages consumption of margarine and partially hydrogenated anti-tropical oil campaigns and hopefully give you some useful fats, while admitting that trans should not be consumed in excess. insight into the issues. The official NCEP document states that "coconut oil, palm oil, When and how did the anti-saturated fat story begin? It really and palm kernel oil...should be avoided". began in part in the late 1950s, when a researcher in Minnesota In 1966, the US Department of Agriculture documents on fats announced that the heart disease epidemic was being caused by and oils talked about how unstable the unsaturated fats and oils hydrogenated vegetable fats. The edible oil industry's response at_ were. There was no criticism of the saturated fats. That criticism that time was to claim it was only the saturated fat in the hydro- of saturated fats was to come later to this agency when it came genated oils that was causing the problem. The industry then under the influence of the domestic edible fats and oils industry announced that it would be changing to partially hydrogenated —_and when it developed the US Dietary Guidelines. These Dietary fats and that this would solve the problem. Guidelines became very anti-saturated fat and remain so to this In actual fact, there was no change because the oils were — day. Nevertheless, as we will learn later in my talk, there started already being partially hydrogenated and the levels of saturated some reversal of the anti-saturated fat stance in the works of this fatty acids remained similar, as did the levels of the trans fatty agency in 1998. acids. The only thing that really changed was the term for In the early 1970s, although a number of researchers were voic- "hydrogenation" or "hardening" listed on the food label. ing concerns about the trans fats, the edible oil industry and the During this same period, a US Food and Drug Administration researcher in Philadelphia reported (FDA) were engaging in a revolv- that consuming polyunsaturated ing-door exchange that would pro- fatty acids lowered serum choles- mote the increasing consumption terol. This researcher neglected, of partially hydrogenated vegetable however, to include the informa- oils, condemn the saturated fats von We the lowering Was due to AS many of you probably know, and nide wre ran rssue As an the cholesterol going into the tis- . . example of this "oily" exchange, in sues such as the liver and the arter- this strong emphasis on 1971 the FDA's general counsel ies. AS a result of this research consuming polyunsaturates has became president ae cable ° report and the acceptance of this 7 . rade association, the Institute 0: new agenda by the domestic edible backfired in many ways. Shortening and Edible Oils (ISEO), oils industry, there was a gradual and he in turn was replaced at the increase in the emphasis on replac- FDA by a food lawyer who had ing "saturated fats" in the diet and represented the edible oil industry. on consuming larger amounts of From that point on, the truth the "polyunsaturated fats". about any real effects of the dietary As many of you probably know, fats had to play catch-up. The this strong emphasis on consuming polyunsaturates has backfired | American edible oil industry sponsored "information" to educate in many ways. The current adjustments, being recommended in __ the public, and the natural dairy and animal fats industries were the US by groups such as the National Academy of Sciences, inept at countering any of that misinformation. Not being domes- replace the saturates with mono-unsaturates instead of with tically grown in the US, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil polyunsaturates and replace polyunsaturates with mono- were not around to defend themselves at that time. The govern- unsaturates. ment agencies responsible for disseminating information ignored Early promoters of the anti-saturated fat ideas included compa- those protesting "lone voices", and by the mid-1980s American nies such as Corn Products Company (CPC International), food manufacturers and consumers had made major changes in through a book written by Jeremiah Stamler in 1963, with the pro- their fats and oils usage—away from the safe, saturated fats and fessional edition published in 1966 by CPC. This book took some _ headlong into the problematic trans fats. of the earliest pejorative stabs at the tropical oils. In 1963, the Enig and Fallon (1998-99) have reviewed the above history in only tropical fat or oil singled out as high in saturated fats was "The Oiling of America", published in NEXUS Magazine [see coconut oil. Palm oil had not entered the US food supply to any 6/01-2]. This article can be viewed and downloaded from the extent, had not become a commercial threat to the domestic oils NEXUS website at www.nexusmagazine.com/OilingAmerica. 1. and was not recognised in any of the early texts. html and www.nexusmagazine.com/OilingAmerica.2.html. The editorial staff of Consumer Reports noted that "...in 1962...one writer observed, the average American now fears fat = 1V. THE DAMAGING ROLE OF THE US CONSUMER [saturated fat, that is] 'as he once feared witches". ACTIVIST GROUP CSPI In 1965, a representative of Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals Some of the food oil industry members—especially those con- told the American Heart Association to change its diet/heart state- nected with the American Soybean Association and some of the ment to remove any reference to the trans fatty acids. This consumer activists (particularly the Centers for Science in the altered official document encouraged the consumption of partially Public Interest and also the American Heart Savers Association) hydrogenated fats. In the 1970s, this same Procter & Gamble _ further eroded the status of natural fats when they sponsored the employee served as nutrition chairman in two controlling posi- major anti-saturated fat, anti-tropical oils campaign in the late tions for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Lipid 1980s. As many of you probably know, this strong emphasis on consuming polyunsaturates has backfired in many ways. IV. THE DAMAGING ROLE OF THE US CONSUMER ACTIVIST GROUP CSPI Some of the food oil industry members—especially those con- nected with the American Soybean Association and some of the consumer activists (particularly the Centers for Science in the Public Interest and also the American Heart Savers Association) further eroded the status of natural fats when they sponsored the major anti-saturated fat, anti-tropical oils campaign in the late 1980s. 16 ¢ NEXUS WWW.NeXU smagazi ne.com FEBRUARY — MARCH 2002