Heart Disease in India: Saturated Fat vs. Seed Oils
Dr. Kumar’s Take:
This study from the 1960s looked at over 1 million Indian railway workers and found something surprising: heart disease was seven times more common in South India than in North India—even though North Indians ate up to 19 times more fat, mostly saturated animal fats like ghee. South Indians, by contrast, ate less fat overall and more polyunsaturated seed oils like groundnut oil. The study also found that smoking was much higher in the North. These findings challenge the idea that saturated fat causes heart disease.