The raison d'etre of this website is to provide you with hard scientific information which may help you make informed decisions in your quest for health (so far I have blogged concise summaries of over 1,500 scientific studies and have had three books published).

My research is mainly focused on the effects of cholesterol, saturated fat and statin drugs on health. If you know anyone who is worried about their cholesterol levels and heart disease, or has been told to take statin drugs you could send them a link to this website, and to my statin or cholesterol or heart disease books.

David Evans

Independent Health Researcher

Monday, 1 August 2011

A high consumption of saturated fat leads to a 70% reduction in stroke risk

This post includes a summary of a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology (2003) 157 (1): 32-39 and a recipe for pot-roasted pork in white wine with garlic, fennel and rosemary.

Study title and authors:
Fat and Protein Intakes and Risk of Intraparenchymal Hemorrhage among Middle-aged Japanese
Ignore the Awkward.: How the Cholesterol Myths Are Kept Alive
Books:
Hiroyasu Iso1, Shinichi Sato2, Akihiko Kitamura2, Yoshihiko Naito2, Takashi Shimamoto2 and Yoshio Komachi2
1 Department of Public Health Medicine, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki-ken, Japan.
2 Osaka Medical Center for Health Science and Promotion, Osaka, Japan.

This study can be accessed at: http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/157/1/32.abstract

The study investigated the relationship of dietary animal fat & animal protein and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke in 4,775 Japanese over 14 years.
 
The study found :
(a) An increase in animal protein was associated with a decreased risk of stroke.
(b) Those who ate the most saturated fat had a 70% lower risk of stroke compared to those who ate the least.
 
To conclude: A high consumption of saturated fat leads to a 70% reduction in stroke risk.

More information on this subject: Books : Scientific Studies : Other Websites : Videos : Food Mall 


Recipe of the day

Pot-Roasted Pork in White Wine with Garlic, Fennel and Rosemary

Ingredients:
Smoked Boneless Pork Loin, approx 1.25lb
Food Mall: Pork Loin
1 x 1.5kg pork loin
1 tbsp fennel seeds
3 large knobs butter
8 garlic cloves, whole with skin left on
1 handful fresh rosemary, stalks removed
4 bay leaves
1 fennel bulb, sliced
½ bottle Chardonnay (375ml)

Directions:
1.Tie up the joint with a couple of bits of string to keep it in a neat package while it cooks.

2.Season the joint with salt and pepper and then roll in the fennel seeds until it is coated all over with the seeds.

3.In a large frying pan heat just over half the butter. Fry the joint for a few minutes, turning it at times to get it golden brown all over.

4.Once browned remove the joint from the frying pan and place into the slow cooker.

5.Place the bay leaves, rosemary, garlic cloves and sliced fennel around the joint.

6.Pour the white wine into the frying pan and bring to the boil, using a spatula to work any meat bits off the bottom of the pan. Once the liquid is boiling, pour it over the joint and place the lid on the slow cooker.

7.Cook on High for 3-4 hours.
8.Once cooked, remove the joint from the pot and stand on a plate to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile finish the sauce to serve with the joint by adding the remaining butter to the liquid in the pan and working it about to remove any goodness off the bottom of the pan – additional heat shouldn’t be needed at this point. Strain out the lumps of garlic, fennel and bay leaves serving the juice without these.

Pot-Roasted Pork