Why is it that the French eat more saturated fat from animal sources than the USA yet?

Question

they deaths from heart attack are 3 times less than that in the USA but those who follow a plant based diet in the USA only have a death rate of 2.5 times lower than the average rate in the USA.

*Glitter... do an internet search on "French paradox"

The "time lag" theory is a nice one, but the French paradox was first noted in 1819.

I'll bite Elizabeth J

According to FAO data, the average French person consumed 108 grams per day of fat from animal sources in 2002 while the average American consumed only 72. The French eat four times as much butter, 60 percent more cheese and nearly three times as much pork. Although the French consume only slightly more total fat (171 g/d vs 157), they consume much more saturated fat because Americans consume a much larger proportion of fat in the form of vegetable oil, with most of that being soybean oil.

Also they eat 3 times more pork than the USA.

Answer 1

The French don't eat all the processed junk food. They also drink a lot of red wine.

Answer 2

i do no longer believe animal fat intake has decreased in any respect. in reality I examine at the instant that our meat eating has greater desirable by employing %60 interior the previous 30 years. we are far greater sedentiary than our grandparents who in lots of circumstances walked miles daily and did actual artwork around the abode. i don't be attentive to of the proper mechanism yet whilst the physique has intense ldl cholesterol (many times from saturated fat) fatty plaques are laid down in our arteries. If this occurs interior the greater suitable arteries to our organs alongside with our heart and ideas it leads to illnesses. Our organs only can't get the blood supply and for this reason the oxygen that we choose. that's the reason human beings in lots of circumstances choose Cardiac pass surgical operation - as their arteries that offer the guts muscle itself block (motives soreness - angina or warmth attack). The fat interior an artery looks like thick glug whilst that's scraped out - that's revolting. Sorry my clarification is not greater technical.

Answer 3

Because you're combining the "saturated fat" health statistics with the "plant-based vs. meat diet" statistics in an effort to make some sort of point.

In order to make any sort of assertion, you need to isolate the variable in question. The French eating more SATURATED FAT means nothing. You are comparing plant based US diets to French ones higher than the US in animal-derived saturated fat, no? What would the French's percentage of sat. fat derived from animal sources vs. non-animal sources have to do with whether a plant-based diet is healthier than a meat-eating one?


The ironic thing is that you feel the need to point out the minute differences between vegans and the French (who eat far less meat than do Americans), while cutting heart attack deaths by as much as 66% through their reduced consumption of animal products escapes escapes your notice.

Answer 4

The theory behind the "french paradox" is the realitively higher per capita consumption of red wine.

Answer 5

I don't have backed up facts, but I wonder if it has to do with portion sizes. I've heard it said before that Europeans in general don't pile on the portions like we do in the US. Even preportioned food is larger than what dieticians consider a healty portion here.

Answer 6

They eat food that's not treated with pesticides, hormones, or antibiotics. They eat lots of fresh vegetables & fruits which have plenty of antioxidants in them and lots of nutrients. They help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure. They drink red wine with meals.

Though I'm not sure your statistics about Americans who eat a plant based diets are correct.

Answer 7

Yep, drinking red wine helps - so does a lower-stress lifestyle (the French don't do much in a hurry, and take lots of holidays), and so does portion control.

Answer 8

My guess is that it is the red wine. I think you would that Italy . . . while it may not eat a lot of saturated fats . .. has a very low rate of deaths from heart attacks.

Answer 9

Mainly because they don't overindulge (as far as how much they eat) like Americans do. As a whole, American portion sizes are much bigger than what you would find in France.

Answer 10

It could be because it hasn't caught up with them yet. At least that's what researchers believe.

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Americans, famous for wanting their cake and eating it too, were delighted to learn that even though French foods seem to be rich in fat, much of it artery-clogging saturated animal fat, the French are not nearly as likely to be cut down in midlife by heart attacks. This intriguing phenomenon is called the French Paradox, and it has drawn comment, criticism and speculation for much of this decade.

But the latest treatise on the subject, published in a recent issue of The British Medical Journal, suggests the paradox may not be so paradoxical after all. Rather, the authors maintain, it is only a matter of time before the fatty French diet exacts its coronary toll. These scientists, Malcolm Law and Nicholas Wald, specialists in preventive medicine at St. Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, point out that for decades until 1970, the French ate much less animal fat and had significantly lower blood cholesterol levels than did Britons, who were in no better shape than Americans.

But as the French diet grew richer, French cholesterol levels did too. ''Only between 1970 and 1980 did French values increase to those in Britain,'' the authors noted, adding that since only about 1 percent of men die of heart disease before age 50, it takes decades of exposure to a high-fat diet to exact this toll.

Though the new British report is the most thorough analysis of this ''time-lag hypothesis,'' it has been put forward before as an explanation for French diet and health. Dr. Marion Nestle, chairwoman of the department of nutrition at New York University, noted several years ago that it was not until 1985 that French consumption of fat caught up to that of Americans.

In an interview, Dr. Nestle said, ''There's been a steady increase in fat consumption in France over the last 20 years as the French diet has become more Americanized.'' She noted that the French were now eating more meat and fast foods, snacking more, eating fewer regular relaxed meals, exercising less and drinking less wine than in the past. And, predictably, they are getting fatter.

Wait a few more decades, Dr. Nestle predicted, and the French will no longer enjoy a coronary death rate that is less than half that of Americans.
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http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E7D7103BF931A15755C0A96F958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/N/Nuts

British Medical Journal:
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/318/7196/1471?ijkey=8594509dde3c77aed9fcae5ce3a01eefdcefc753&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
And France is not the only paradox (nor the only group that is increasing it's intake of fatty foods): http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/318/7196/1471#3330
And another opinion that dairy is the culprit and explains the paradox: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/318/7196/1471#3437