Re: A Couple of Newbie Questions (Smart Balance margarine)

[Guest guest]

>>>

From: " loganruns73 " <loganruns73@y...>

Date: Fri Aug 20, 2004 12:04 am

Subject: Re: A Couple of Newbie Questions

Smart Balance margarine is one of the tastiest trans-fat-free

margarines I've ever tried. It's a mono-poly-sat oils blend

purportedly able to raise HDL and improve the HDL/LDL ratio. I like

it better than butter which is just too annoyingly sweet.

>>>

Logan,

Thanks for digging up the patent on Smart Balance. I have been

intrigued by this margarine because I could not find anything

objectionable in the ingredient list. The patent clarifies a lot of

things.

Link to the patent:

http://tinyurl.com/5pr3s

Here are some highlights:

>>>

The saturated fatty acids must constitute between 20% and 40% by

weight of the daily dietary fat based upon dietary fat accounting for

30% of the total dietary energy consumption, and linoleic acid must

constitute between 15% and 40% by weight of dietary fat. In this way,

the required proportional intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids

enhances the formation of HDL from VLDL and/or decreases the clearance

of HDL, while an excessive proportional intake of polyunsaturated

fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids is avoided to assure a

sufficient dietary availability of saturated fatty acids which are

required for sufficient VLDL synthesis and HDL production.

>>>

Notice that to induce the physiological effect of increasing the

HDL/LDL ratio for a person who gets 30% of the calories as fat, the

fat MUST contain 20-40% SATURATED fats and 15-40% of linoleic acid

(C18:2). (Does this also imply that the high cholesterol " epidemic "

may be caused because we don't eat enough saturated fats?)

The claims go on to say that the saturated fatty acids may be

> palmitic acid (C16:0), lauric acid (C12:0) and

> myristic acid (C14:0).

> the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids in the daily

> dietary fat is between 20% and 50% oleic acid (C18:1)

> less than 5% by weight stearic acid (C18:0)

.... and what are the sources of these fatty acids?

For the unsaturated fatty acids:

> soybean oil, canola oil, edible flax seed oil,

> and/or perrilla seed oil.

For the saturated fatty acids:

> palm fat, coconut fat and cocoa butter.

> palm oil, palm olein, and palm kernel oil.

>>>

For example, two parts palm oil (44% palmitic acid, 9% linoleic acid)

can be blended with one part corn oil (11% palmitic acid, 58% linoleic

acid) to provide a balanced fat blend containing approximately 33%

palmitic acid (16:0) and 25% linoleic acid (18:2). Such

cholesterol-free balanced fat blends are useful not only as dietary

constituents that modulate plasma cholesterol to maximize the HDL/LDL

ratio but also provide advantageous use in various cooking procedures

such as in deep-fat frying.

>>>

Here is my conclusion:

The resulting " balanced fat " is similar to LARD, but with a little

more linoleic acid. Would you believe it? (Lard has 26% palmitic

acid, 14% stearic acid, 44% oleic acid, and 10% linoleic acid, but it

is not cholesterol-free)

In any case, Smart Balance has found a way of using the saturated

coconut oil and palm kernel oil that have been lambasted in the past

as being " heart-clogging " . Which means that Enig was not all

wrong, Atkins was not all wrong, and that the margarine industry

continues to thrive no matter what.

Bon appetit!

Tony Zamora

[Guest guest]

Hi Tony:

Thanks for that information on Smart Balance margarine.

Just one question: what is the evidence (preferably of the empirical

type) that it is healthy? TIA.

Rodney.

> >>>

> From: " loganruns73 " <loganruns73@y...>

> Date: Fri Aug 20, 2004 12:04 am

> Subject: Re: A Couple of Newbie Questions

> Smart Balance margarine is one of the tastiest trans-fat-free

> margarines I've ever tried. It's a mono-poly-sat oils blend

> purportedly able to raise HDL and improve the HDL/LDL ratio. I like

> it better than butter which is just too annoyingly sweet.

> >>>

>

> Logan,

>

> Thanks for digging up the patent on Smart Balance. I have been

> intrigued by this margarine because I could not find anything

> objectionable in the ingredient list. The patent clarifies a lot of

> things.

>

> Link to the patent:

> http://tinyurl.com/5pr3s

>

> Here are some highlights:

>

> >>>

> The saturated fatty acids must constitute between 20% and 40% by

> weight of the daily dietary fat based upon dietary fat accounting

for

> 30% of the total dietary energy consumption, and linoleic acid must

> constitute between 15% and 40% by weight of dietary fat. In this

way,

> the required proportional intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids

> enhances the formation of HDL from VLDL and/or decreases the

clearance

> of HDL, while an excessive proportional intake of polyunsaturated

> fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids is avoided to assure a

> sufficient dietary availability of saturated fatty acids which are

> required for sufficient VLDL synthesis and HDL production.

> >>>

>

> Notice that to induce the physiological effect of increasing the

> HDL/LDL ratio for a person who gets 30% of the calories as fat, the

> fat MUST contain 20-40% SATURATED fats and 15-40% of linoleic acid

> (C18:2). (Does this also imply that the high cholesterol " epidemic "

> may be caused because we don't eat enough saturated fats?)

>

> The claims go on to say that the saturated fatty acids may be

> > palmitic acid (C16:0), lauric acid (C12:0) and

> > myristic acid (C14:0).

>

> > the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids in the daily

> > dietary fat is between 20% and 50% oleic acid (C18:1)

>

> > less than 5% by weight stearic acid (C18:0)

>

> ... and what are the sources of these fatty acids?

>

> For the unsaturated fatty acids:

> > soybean oil, canola oil, edible flax seed oil,

> > and/or perrilla seed oil.

>

> For the saturated fatty acids:

> > palm fat, coconut fat and cocoa butter.

> > palm oil, palm olein, and palm kernel oil.

>

> >>>

> For example, two parts palm oil (44% palmitic acid, 9% linoleic

acid)

> can be blended with one part corn oil (11% palmitic acid, 58%

linoleic

> acid) to provide a balanced fat blend containing approximately 33%

> palmitic acid (16:0) and 25% linoleic acid (18:2). Such

> cholesterol-free balanced fat blends are useful not only as dietary

> constituents that modulate plasma cholesterol to maximize the

HDL/LDL

> ratio but also provide advantageous use in various cooking

procedures

> such as in deep-fat frying.

> >>>

>

> Here is my conclusion:

> The resulting " balanced fat " is similar to LARD, but with a little

> more linoleic acid. Would you believe it? (Lard has 26% palmitic

> acid, 14% stearic acid, 44% oleic acid, and 10% linoleic acid, but

it

> is not cholesterol-free)

>

> In any case, Smart Balance has found a way of using the saturated

> coconut oil and palm kernel oil that have been lambasted in the past

> as being " heart-clogging " . Which means that Enig was not all

> wrong, Atkins was not all wrong, and that the margarine industry

> continues to thrive no matter what.

>

> Bon appetit!

>

> Tony Zamora

[Guest guest]

>>>In any case, Smart Balance has found a way of using the saturated

coconut oil and palm kernel oil that have been lambasted in the past as

being " heart-clogging " . Which means that Enig was not all wrong,

Atkins was not all wrong, and that the margarine industry continues to

thrive no matter what.

The margarine industry continues to thrive but that has little to do

with whether or not it is a healthy product.

I also wouldn't jump to that conclusion on Atkins, and Enig.

One the product first came out, I had some conversations with the

company and their president about the product and the studies and he

sent me lots of info.

I think the claims they make are alittle exaggerated and being applied

in a completely different way than was done in their study.

The study subject received a diet that was 30% fat with a 10/10/10 ratio

of sat/poly/mono some of which was coming from the Smart Balance Spread.

It also included more fruits vegetables and fiber that they were eating

before.But lets just look at the fat part cause there are problems just

there.

The typical american diet is 37% fat with a ratio of ~13/6/8. If we

assume 2400 kcals than they were eating 35 grams of saturated fat, 16 of

poly and 21 of mono before the study. During the study these same

subjects ate 26 grams of saturated fat, 26 of ply and 26 of mono, .

So, their total fat intake went down 7% and the saturated fat decreased

by about 1/3 and their poly and mono intake went up. Not surprised at

all that their lipid numbers got better. It really didn't have

anything to do with the " ratio " they achieved, or the Smart Balance.

It had to do with lowering saturated fat.

Now, if we take a typical American who continutes to consume his 2400

calories with 37% coming from fat at a 13/6/8 ratio and we get them to

add in 2-3 servings a day of a spread that is 100% fat with a ratio of

10/10/10 do you think they will have the same effect? I strongly

doubt it.

My opinion is that the use of Palm Oil and Coconut oil is to get a shelf

stable and solid product while at the same time be able to

" misleadingly " label it " hydrogentaed fat and trans fat free " not to get

any magical balance of fats.

I wish they had a control group that had no added fat but a healthy low

fat plant based high fiber diet with about 15-20% fat that occurred

naturally. My guess is that it would have done the best.

Jeff

PS he sent me lots of coupons in case anybody wants them

[Guest guest]

>>>

From: " Jeff Novick " <jnovick@p...>

Date: Fri Aug 20, 2004 1:33 pm

Subject: RE: [ ] Re: A Couple of Newbie Questions (Smart

Balance margarine)

....

It also included more fruits vegetables and fiber that they were

eating

before.

>>>

Jeff,

You are right about the design of the experiments. It is not likely

that using a dab of margarine on toast for breakfast will change the

HDL/LDL ratio of a person. The whole diet needs to be altered to

notice an effect.

>>>

From: " Rodney " <perspect1111@y...>

Date: Fri Aug 20, 2004 12:11 pm

Hi Tony:

Thanks for that information on Smart Balance margarine.

Just one question: what is the evidence (preferably of the empirical

type) that it is healthy? TIA.

>>>

For the empirical data we may need to wait for 20 years. However, if

the formulation of Smart Balance is similar to lard, and the

experimental design for Smart balance was not flawed, and the results

indeed show that the ratio of HDL/LDL is improved THEN we can surmise

that Smart Balance is as healthy as lard and that lard would have the

same effect.

Imagine what would be the impact of the research if it were shown that

" Use of natural animal fats improves HDL/LDL ratios " . Who can

benefit? Only farmers, butchers, and meat packers. However, by

formulating a product as safe as lard (the safety of which has been

confirmed over millenia of human evolution) but from vegetable sources

to avoid the concern about dietary cholesterol (which may be

unfounded), the margarine industry can get a cut of the consumer

Dollars. Since animals don't have to be killed, the vegans are also

pleased, and the product can be made kosher.

What are you going to buy? Smart Balance margarine or lard?

Tough choice!

Tony

[Guest guest]

If I had to design a oil blend, I'd try GLA instead of palmitic acid

as GLA promotes HDL2b, a truly benefical subfraction. From the

patent description, it seems to me a blend of 50% Oleic Acid, 25% GLA

and 25% Linoleic Acid would be healthier, but wouldn't be anywhere as

heat or shelf-stable.

Realistically, I think High Gamma Canola Oil or High Gamma Olive Oil

will become more widespread in the future through genetic engineering.

Logan

--- In , " Rodney " <perspect1111@y...>

> Just one question: what is the evidence (preferably of the

> empirical type) that it is healthy? TIA.

[Guest guest]

> For the empirical data we may need to wait for 20 years.

It could be only a couple of months if someone wanted to do a study

of the effects of it on all the recognized heart disease risk factors

(including Crp, Apo-1 etc) and could find people willing to consume a

fair amount of it for that long. And the comparison should be

against the SAD; Ornish; Pritikin; CR; Atkins; etc..

> What are you going to buy? Smart Balance margarine or lard?

Neither. I find it surprising that on a CR website we are discussing

which greasy, high fat, high calorie spread (that so far as I know

contains little or no micronutrients) we ought to be consuming large

enough quantities of to influence our lipids data.

And also let's not forget the carcinogenic properties of some of the

fats on the Smart Balance list - corn, soybean, flax, ............

Rodney.

[Guest guest]

>>>

From: " Rodney " <perspect1111@y...>

Date: Fri Aug 20, 2004 3:11 pm

....

I find it surprising that on a CR website we are discussing

which greasy, high fat, high calorie spread (that so far as I know

contains little or no micronutrients) we ought to be consuming large

enough quantities of to influence our lipids data.

>>>

Rodney,

The reason for discussing fats in this CR site is that fats are

NECESSARY for health. By habitually eating the wrong balance of fats

(saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, trans) your health will

eventually suffer. The reason for discussing US Patent 5,578,334 for

Smart Balance margarine was because it is based on studies about the

improvement of HDL/LDL levels.

I have seen some postings on this group from people who have practiced

CRON for several years and whose cholesterol is high or don't have

good lipid profiles. Why is this? Maybe because we don't practice ON

(Optimal Nutrition) correctly. We are restricting calories, but we

are not eating OPTIMALLY.

I see a lot of advice here about eating unsaturated fats and a lot of

opposition to saturated fats. Yes, there are studies that show that

some unsaturated fats are good, but there are other studies that say

that some unsaturated fats can cause cancer and other diseases. I

think that we have to be guided by the food choices that our ancestors

made and not be too quick to dismiss our genetic heritage. I concede

that " optimum " may require deviations from traditional foods, but I

feel that for our safety any deviations should be minor and not great.

One statement which was significant in patent 5,578,334 was " In other

previous experiments using saturated animal fats blended with POLYs

described in Perlman and , it is noted that rodents (gerbils and

hamsters) and monkeys (cebus) exhibited unexpectedly increased HDL/LDL

lipoprotein ratios when corn oil (rich in 18:2) was blended into

animal fats stripped of cholesterol. "

Following up on this lead takes you to Patent 5,382,442

(http://tinyurl.com/4xdrc) which states:

" the data provided below for cholesterolemia demonstrate that the

advantages of a reduced serum cholesterol level, and an improved blend

resistant to oxidation, can both be achieved by using blended fat

compositions containing between two and ten parts of a saturated fat

source (such as tallow) to each part of polyunsaturated fat (such as

corn or soybean oil). "

I think that both of these patents by Perlman and

from Brandeis University have very important information.

Unfortunately, rather than publishing in a peer-reviewed

publication, the authors opted for the more lucrative option of a US

patent.

If your cholesterol is high, and you wonder why it is high in spite of

your CRON diet, I recommend reading US Patent 5,382,442. You will

understand how the proportions of fatty acids that you ingest

influence your lipid profiles. After you understand this data, you

will have a better idea of how to eat optimally (ON). That's the

goal, isn't it?

Tony