I cannot think of another book I have read related to health or nutrition that could have wider more profound effects on the health and healthcare costs than Dark Calories by Catherine Shanahan, M.D. The focus of the book, published this June, is clearly stated in its subtitle: “How Vegetable Oils Destroy Our Health and How We Can Get It Back.”
The term “vegetable oils” can evoke an innocuous image of healthy-looking vegetables being pressed to produce oil. According to Shanahan, this is far from the case. “Vegetable oils” are extracted from seeds that were mostly discarded or used to make oils for industrial purposes. The facilities to produce these oils are similar to petroleum refineries in their use of chemical agents, such as hexane.
Shanahan had “developed a serious and mysterious medical condition” that made waking difficult walk. She began to research vegetable oils, which are polyunsaturated fats, to see if she could use the oils to improve her health. The more research she conducted, the more evidence she found that vegetable (seed oils) were causing her illness — and are one of the primary causes of the epidemic or chronic illnesses in the United States.
‘The hateful eight’
According to Shanahan, many key biological processes go awry when consuming vegetable oils, particularly oils she dubs “the hateful eight:” corn oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, soy oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil grapeseed oil, and rice bran oil.
The biological dysfunction centers around oxidation. We all need oxygen to live. Mitochondria, which are microscopic power-production units, are present in large numbers in all cells of our bodies. Mitochondria need oxygen to produce fuel for the cells. However, the body also needs numerous antioxidants to prevent oxygen from wreaking biological havoc in other biological processes. Shanahan’s research shows that seed oils deplete the antioxidants, leading to insulin resistance, food cravings, diabetes, and a wide range of inflammatory diseases.
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To make my own analogy, if you put diesel oil into a gasoline engine, the engine will run and seem normal for a while, but engine parts will start to break down. The same is true of vegetable oil in people. It’s not the right fuel for our bodies, and our biological parts break down. The main difference is that vegetable oil damage is a slower process and harder to trace.
For decades, we have been told that saturated fat cause heart disease and that vegetable oil can reduce the risk. The research presented in Dark Calories shows the opposite: saturated fats, such as butter, tallow, coconut oil, and ghee oxidize very little and are excellent fuel sources for the body. Monounsaturated fats such as olive oil, avocado oil, and peanut oil — even bacon fat — are also recommended.
Cholesterol: An unfairly labeled enemy?
Contrary to popular wisdom, cholesterol in our arteries is actually a repair mechanism for inflammation and damaged tissue. It sometimes becomes plaque because of the oxidation caused by the vegetable oils. Another analogy is relevant here: Blaming cholesterol for the plaque is akin to a fireman being injured in a fire, then being blamed as the cause of the fire.
Thus, one of, if not the most eye-opening chapter of the books is titled “The Truth About Cholesterol.” Cholesterol has been blamed for a lot of heart disease, but it is an essential substance in body cells and is a key component of the brain. The research Shanahan presents shows that there is no correlation between cholesterol and heart disease, and the drugs used to lower cholesterol, called statins, are causing great harm. For instance, Alzheimer’s Disease was unheard of before the use of statins and similar drugs, and statins also interfere with hormone production, including testosterone. Men who take statins often end up taking testosterone supplementation.
So, how did society come to believe that saturated fat is unhealthy and a low-fat diet that included seed oil is healthy? Shanahan devotes a chapter to this question, “Ancel Keys and the Dark Side of the American Heart Association.” Dr. Keys published a study in 1978 based on data from seven different countries; the study showed a strong correlation between saturated fat consumption and heart disease (He had published many papers on the topic going back to the early 1950s). The concern Shanahan and other researchers have is that Keys had data on 22 countries, and he dropped 15 countries (data sets) from the study that did not support his theory.
The American Heat Association (AHA) has promoting low-fat diets and vegetable oils for decades. According to Shanahan, the AHA was an underfunded association of doctors and researchers until 1948, when they received $1,740 million that was raised by Proctor and Gamble. P & G was one of the first companies to introduce vegetable oils into the food supply, and the inflation calculator app I have on my phone states that sum is the equivalent to $22.6 million in 2024. Shanahan notes that top donors to the AHA’s billion-dollar budget are companies that rely on vegetable oils for their products, such as Conagra, Kellog’s, Quaker, Tyson, FritoLay, and Cambell.
Overarching themes and takeaways from Dark Calories
The evidence presented in Dark Calories is well-documented with a 40-page bibliography. The scientific debate over vegetable oils has apparently been well known for decades among scientists but not well known among doctors and the public. The writing is advanced yet still accessible. Those who did well in high school or general college biology will be able to understand the technical content without trouble.
An overarching theme in the book is that the medical profession has gone awry: it is too focused on prescribing drugs to combat symptoms, but seldom addresses the root causes of disease. Another theme is that doctors have little or no training in nutrition and are dependent on organizations such as the AHA for guidance. Shanahan also describes the medical professional as being too controlled by the pharmaceutical and insurance industries.
If the information presented seems incredible to you, bear in mind that three of the largest food companies in the United States, Kraft, General Foods, and Nabisco, have been owned by tobacco companies since the 1980s.
Dark Calories ends on a hopeful note. The last third of the text is devoted to dietary recommendations, recipes and meal plans. Shanahan states that clearing body fat of vegetable oil can take up to four years, but improvement can be felt in as little as several weeks. I eliminated most seed oil from my diet, and I do feel more energetic. (Eliminating all vegetable oil when traveling can be challenging.)
I find Shanahan’s book to be convincing. Other people who have found her credible appear to be the management of the LA Lakers. Shanahan’s credits included “cocreated the LA Laker’s PRO nutrition program, which has been emulated by elite sports team.” I have even purchased a phone app called “Seed Oil Scout” which helps me find restaurants who have little or no seed oils on their menus.
READ ALSO:
- Industrial Seed Oils: A Little-Known Big Health Threat
- What Went Wrong With Wheat – Is This Staple Grain Making Us Sick?
- The Dangerous Side-Effects of Plastics, and How to Minimize Their Toxic Impact
Those interested in learning more about Dark Calories by Catherine Shanahan, M.D., may visit the book’s official website, https://drcate.com/dark-calories-book/.
