It's proof the cholesterol hypothesis is wrong.
French consume:
- More saturated fat than Americans or British
- More butter than almost anyone
- More cheese per capita
- More full-fat dairy
- More red meat
- More alcohol
Their cholesterol levels: Similar to UK/US.
Their heart disease rates: 40% lower than US, 30% lower than UK.
This "paradox" has been known since the 1990s.
The response from health authorities wasn't "maybe we're wrong about saturated fat and cholesterol."
It was "the French must have some protective factor we don't understand."
They do have a protective factor: They don't eat seed oils.
French cook in butter, duck fat, and olive oil.
Americans and Brits cook in vegetable oil, sunflower oil, and rapeseed oil.
The French avoid the actual poison while eating the foods we're told are deadly.
Results: They're healthier.
But admitting this would mean admitting 50 years of dietary advice was backwards.
So instead we call it a "paradox" and continue recommending seed oils.
