16. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 10:58 am PDT

I have a STRONG disagreement with how Dr. Mao put the oils in order of how "dangerous" they are. I'd just like to say, that I'd MUCH rather have a stroke or a heart attack than friggin' Cancer or heart disease. Personally, I continue to maintain that no matter how bad something like butter(which I do eat!) is, or regular soda(which I don't drink at all, but read on) is for you with the fat and the sugar, they are a MUCH better option for you than their counterparts of Margerine and Diet Soda. Those things are NOT NATURAL FOR THE HUMAN BODY! Since artificial sweeteners and oils have only been around for a short time (What... about 50/60 years?), we are unable to really analyze how these chemicals react with our bodies and brains. Personally, I think that Dr. Mao needs to re-order the oils. I just can't believe that a heart-attack is "worse" than having Cancer to him. That's just dumb and irresponsible to all the people reading his column.

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17. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 11:17 am PDT

Carmenshamwell, I think you need an education in medicine before you start ranking diseases. #1 heart disease includes having heart attacks and strokes for that matter since the disease process is the same. #2 Peripheral vascular disease is a very bad player (and is caused by the same risk factors as heart disease), and having worked with both those patients and those with cancer I would have to say they are equally bad and cause significant suffering. The key points of the article are that trans fats and saturated fats are bad for you and they should be avoided.

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18. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 11:45 am PDT

Sorry, but Dr. Mao gets low marks for writing about fats, when he is, unfortunately, uninformed. This essay is full of errors. Fish oils are not mono-unsaturated, they are entirely polyunsaturated. Unsaturation refers to the presence of double bonds in the carbon chain of the fatty acid. Carbon chains are typically anywhere from 12 to 20 carbons long, with some examples outside this range, and they have anywhere from zero to 5 or so double bonds. Or 6 for DHA. See http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/fattyacids.html for some examples. Or google fatty acids. To summarize, a monounsaturated fatty acid has one double bone, saturated have none, and polyunsaturated have more than one. It is true that monounsaturated oils are healthy, but many polyunsaturated oils, like fish oils, are healthy, too. Super healthy, in fact. All essential fatty acids are polyunsaturated. All of them. Not a single one is monounsaturated. And omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated. It is also true that saturated fats are bad for you, but peanut oil contains a mixture of fatty acids, the minority of which are saturated. Peanut oil is never classified as a saturated fat. It is mostly a mixture of monounsaturated (oleic acid) and polyunsaturated (linoleic acid) fatty acids. And true, polyunsaturated fats can have a high proportion of trans fats, but only if they have been subjected to catalytic hydrogenation, a process that makes polyunsaturated fats have a higher melting point (eg, margarine). Polyunsaturated fats of natural origin, not subjected to catalytic hydrogenation, do not contain trans fats. So eat those fish oils! They contain essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, with no trans fat content. And eat that olive oil. It is high in monounsaturated fatty acids, And don't be afraid of peanut oil, although it's not as good for you as olive oil. Don't you just hate it when someone writes about something, but fails to learn about it first?

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19. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 11:47 am PDT

How about for frying? Where's the good or bad for that?

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20. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 11:51 am PDT

Coconut oil is predominantly made up of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). MCTs are converted into energy and do not store as fat. They enable the body to metabolise fat efficiently. Coconut oil contains beneficial lauric acid, which may be of particular benefit for immune-suppressed people. Because coconut oil is more heat stable than other plant based oils, it does not create trans fatty acids when cooked at higher temperatures. Coconut oil is one of nature's most misunderstood foods. The same heat stable properties of natural saturation that make it the ideal cooking oil are also the source of much of the misinformation about coconut oil. One of the important points to be made is that not all saturated fats are alike. This non-hydrogenated naturally saturated oil does not contain trans-fatty acids. 18 REASONS WHY YOU NEED VIRGIN COCONUT OIL IN YOUR DIET TODAY Strengthens your body immune system Fights disease causing bacteria, viruses, and fungi Stimulate the metabolism Burns unwanted body fat Improves food digestion Improves absorption of food nutrients Boosts your energy level immediately Proper balance of saturated fats in your diet No Cholesterol No Carbohydrates No Hydrogenation No Trans Fatty Acids Not Refined, Bleached, or Deoderized No Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Not produced from Copra Produced from fresh virgin coconut meat Promotes healthy skin, reduces wrinkles, and age lines Promotes healthy and strong hair roots & texture.

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21. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 11:57 am PDT

I HAVE PROBLEM WITH MY LEGS, RETAINING WATER. I'M ONLY 40 YEARS, AND I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS HAPPENING. PLEASE EXPLAIN.

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22. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 12:10 pm PDT

How does sesame oil handle heat? In other words is it a good oil to fry with, or best just to use it cold, for salads and dressings, etc?

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23. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 12:11 pm PDT

Just cus you're asian doesn't make you more spritual, healthy, wise, humble, enlightened, ying yang, feng shuai, chop sticks & a fortune cookie!

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24. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 12:22 pm PDT

Virgin Coconut Oil is a food, and is one of the best cooking oils you can use. It has been a staple cooking oil for thousands of years in tropical climates. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils. Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boosts the body's metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss.

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25. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 12:29 pm PDT

Hello Folks, Our bodies are not Calorometers, meaning that 3500 extra calories does not equate to an extra pound of fat. Weight Management is more complex than that, clearly. 2000 calories of chocolate cake does NOT have the same effect on your body as 2000 calories of lean chicken breast. By the same token, a 1 calorie diet soda has worse effect on your body than 200 calories of spinach. The truth is, we do not all respond the same way to food and the main differences between Atkins, Zone and Ornish are simply the amount of protein. Some people need higher amounts of protein, like Atkins and some people respond better to a lower protein diet. The $1000 per hour Hollywood trainers know this, that is precisely why they have such a high rate of success, they just don't make it public knowledge... Unfortunately, if Dr. Atkins knew this, he would have still helped the same amount of people, but he would have side-stepped all of the criticism from the medical community that plagued him for years. Roughly 30% of the population will thrive on a high protein diet, like Atkins and roughly 40% will do very well on a slightly lower amount of protein, like The Zone Diet. The remaining 30% will do very well on a high carbohydrate diet, like The Ornish Diet, providing that the carbs are veggies and fruits and not pastas and breads. The good news is that a Dr. named W. Kip Johnson, MD who has personally seen over 100,000 patients in his 30 years as a Medical Doctor has developed a simple to follow program that will walk you through the seven components of healthy weight loss at your own comfortable pace. Go to Thinergetics.com and learn the truth about weight loss.... Thank you WeightLossTruth

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26. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 12:37 pm PDT

I was reading on chick fil-a's site that they use 100% non-hydrogenated, refined peanut oil, which is naturally cholesterol and trans fat free. but i just read above that this an oil to avoid is there a difference.......?

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27. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 12:40 pm PDT

what about hemp seed oil, i think it deserves a least a mention.

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28. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 12:42 pm PDT

I would really like to see someone post information about the fact that some oils become carcinogenic at high heats (like olive oil) and should be avoided for high-heat cooking. Seems everyone always leaves that part out.

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29. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 12:46 pm PDT

Great article! I hope aol posts more of these so that as consumers we force the food industry to do away with processed foods that are linked to causing disease. It is sad our government does not do more to facilitate this movement. Especially when many of them know the harm unnatural products do to the masses.

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30. Posted by A Yahoo! Health User on Tue, Mar 13, 2007, 12:46 pm PDT

Great article! I hope aol posts more of these so that as consumers we force the food industry to do away with processed foods that are linked to causing disease. It is sad our government does not do more to facilitate this movement. Especially when many of them know the harm unnatural products do to the masses.

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