Unsaturated, saturated, and trans fat: the good and the bad

The writer noted that people such as the Crete had diets high in fats such as olive oil, yet they did not have high rates of heart disease. Many native cultures whose diets were rich in saturated fats such as palm oil, coconut oil, butter, lard and duck fat also had extremely low levels of cholesterol. I am a native of Sri Lanka and I can personally vouch that our grandparents and great grandparents staple food consisted of coconuts, coconut oil and coconut milk (all of which are rich in saturated fat). Heart disease was unknown among their generation and ones before them. However, our younger generation in Sri Lanka has now switched over to canola and vegetable oil and I can tell you that people are now dying of heart attacks on a daily basis. Saturated fats have been used for generations by native cultures and pioneers of this country, but heart disease was rare among them. Hydrogenated coconut oil or any type of hydrogenated oil is a killer. Not natural virgin coconut oil. There is a conspiracy against coconut oil in the west. People in the west need to take another look at the flawed studies regarding saturated fat. Coconut oil is a miracle food. It has the potential to heal many diseases. I urge everyone to do more research on the subject of coconut oil and saturated fats.
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It is incorrect to say that partial hydrogenation "creates a saturated fat called trans fatty acid." All trans fats are isomers of cis fats which are always either monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fatty acids. See "Know your Fats" by Mary G. Enig, PhD. You also wrote, "...saturated fats have the opposite effect by mainly increasing LDL." This is only partially correct. Saturated fats such as myristic acid can also raise HDL. Some saturated fats, such as stearic acid, are cholesterol neutral. Google: "Saturated fats: what dietary intake?" and "tfX: Alternatives to trans fats."
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