Half Truths Are Whole Lies

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This blog entry scrutinizes articles on the Internet for intellectual dishonesty, especially the following:
1. Serious omissions.
2. Using weasel words.
3. Treating an opinion or theory as a matter of fact.
4. Looking for confirmation evidence.
5. Treating an controversial idea as though it is factual.
6. Engaging in Obfuscation.
7. Relying on outdated data or research that since shown to be wrong.
8. Factually wrong.
9. References that do not support the argument.

Entry no 1.
Skeptoid Podcast #608
Palm Oil Facts and Fiction by Brian Dunning .
FACTUALLY INCORRECT.
I would not doubt Brian's sincerity, here he has clearly misunderstood the issues, the first being hydrogenation. This is an industrial process oil- usually seed oil- is heated to a high temperature in a catalyst and in layman's terms converts a percentage of unsaturated fat into saturated fat. For edible products - I am reluctant to use the term food- only partial hydrogenation takes place. Generally applied to margarine and hardened vegetable oil but also some other products such as peanut butter. It would seem that in north America hydrogenated lard is for sale. Why anyone wants to turn a health food into an unhealthy food is one of the great mysteries of life. Anyway as a result of partial hydrogenation, trans fat or more specifically Elaidic acid is produced as a by-product. There is a substantial body of scientific evidence that Elaidic acid is extremely harmful to human health. As it does not occur naturally in nature, the human body has difficulty processing it.
Quote,"Fat that has not been hydrogenated at all is called unsaturated fat, and it's of least concern for health."
Every fat and oil has varying percentages saturated, unsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. Animal fats are naturally high in saturated fat; palm kernel oil and coconut oil are even higher. There is no requirement for any of these fats and oils to be hydrogenated as Brian is suggested and the only time it happens is with some lard in north America.As a side note you can buy hydrogenated coconut oil sold as Copha.When legislation started coming in around the world limiting trans fat in food, manufacturers started switching to palm kernal oil because it is naturally 75% saturated and contains no trans fat.

It would seem that Brian thinks all fats high in saturated fat are hydrogenated.This is simply not true.
As for the idea of saturated fat being unhealthy, I will deal in another entry.
Mark Twain once said it is easier to fool someone than to convince them they have been fooled.
I would agree some of the health claims made about palm oil are exaggerated but it would be certainly more healthy than margarine or seed oil. The case of a woman reversing her husband's Alzheimer at this point in time is just anecdotal.
Palm Oil Facts and Fiction

Entry no 2
Vegans Were Right All Along by George Monbiot.
SERIOUS OMISSION.
This quite an old article but the issues are still current today. Here George Monbiot brings up that old chestnut that farming land produces more food used for horticulture than for animal husbandry. This is true for arable land but overlooks the fact that much livestock is raised on dry-land that is unsuitable for horticulture. This is a serious omission. Only 6% of the land in Australia is arable.In any case I have seen with my own eyes irrigation land left fallow due to low prices of crops that could be grown.Also, this article fails to mention the non food products that come from farm animals.See my National Cattle Day essay.
There are many critics of the food business.It is complex and difficult to understand . A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.
Why Vegans Were Right All Along

Entry no 3.
Ancel Keys and saturated fat.
SERIOUS OMISSION
In 1950s America doctors were puzzled. Although general life expectancy had increased, one third of deaths were from Myocardial infarction - a disease almost unheard of just fifty years prior. People were looking for an answer, Ancel Keys had one - his 6 Countries Study, later revamped as the 7 Countries Study. The graphs in his study appeared to show the higher the per capita consumption of saturated fat, the higher the rate of Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD). The only problem was he had access to the data from sixteen other countries but decided not to use it. This is a SERIOUS OMISSION.
To this day there have been no other research that concurs with Ancel Keys' findings. Ironic he got things so wrong even with two PHDs. His research has been promoted by the margarine industry a part of their corporate propaganda and by animal liberationists who suggest that because animal fats are saturated, which they predominately are, that you can extend your time on the planet by going vegan.
As margarine is far more lucrative than butter production, the industry is able to spend more money on promotion than the butter industry can. When you see recommendations to reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet, they are suggesting you buy more margarine. Some years ago in my local newspaper there was an advertisement by Kelly Bell, a dietician from Griffith. I wrote to her asking for scientific references. She did reply and said she could not supply any scientific references but said that her recommendations were the same as the Australian Council of Aging and the National Heart Foundation. None of the aforementioned had even heard of the 6 Countries Study. Such recommendations are not science but dogma and marketing.