Do saturated fats cause insulin resistance?
Saturated fats have been blamed for everything that ails us, so it’s not surprising that they’re now being fingered for insulin resistance! There have been a few studies in the literature purporting to show that saturated fats cause insulin resistance and hence type 2 diabetes. We analyzed these studies in the Summer 2006 issue of Wise Traditions, showing that these were very poorly done studies which can hardly justify the conclusion that saturated fats cause insulin resistance. The healthy cell membrane contains at least 50 percent of its fatty acids as saturated fatty acids, so the conclusion that saturated fats cause insulin resistance is strange indeed. What we do know is that trans fats cause insulin resistance and researchers often confuse trans with saturated fats. Unfortunately, when people are told to stop eating saturated fats, they often end up eating more trans fats. Certain types of rare fatty acids can cause insulin resistance, but not the kinds that are found in large a
