The Norwegian Directorate of Health wants us to eat less saturated fat.
This is the fat found in butter, cheese, and meat – animal fats. Eating a lot of saturated fat increases the risk of high cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases.
The US Secretary of Health has now launched a campaign that goes in the opposite direction. Robert F. Kennedy wants restaurants in the US to use beef tallow for deep frying. This will 'Make America Healthy Again,' he writes on Instagram.
Kennedy believes that seed oils are to blame for Americans' obesity.
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"Driving cause of the obesity epidemic"
From 1940, McDonald's used beef tallow to fry their french fries. Later they switched to seed oils because 'saturated animal fats were thought to be unhealthy, but we have since discovered that seed oils are one of the driving causes of the obesity epidemic,' Kennedy wrote on social media last year.
Beef tallow, which he recommends, is the fat found under the skin and around the organs of a cow or an ox. It can be melted into oil or used in solid form as tallow.
This is completely contrary to the recommendations of the Norwegian Directorate of Health. They advise cutting down on animal fats and instead consuming vegetable oils.
These are oils made from soy, rapeseed, sunflower, and olives.
"It's not just Norwegian authorities who recommend vegetable oils. So do the US authorities and the rest of Europe," says Linda Granlund, director of public health and prevention at the Norwegian Directorate of Health.
But not Kennedy.
Picking studies that support your view
'Americans should have every right to eat out at a restaurant without being unknowingly poisoned by heavily subsidised seed oils,' Kennedy wrote on Instagram and X.
In another post, he claimed that there is a link between seed oils and all kinds of serious diseases.
He is not alone in believing that animal fats are healthier than seed oils. Several influencers and companies that sell beef fat for cooking or skincare share the same view.
There are also studies suggesting that saturated fats do not increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, or diabetes.
"If you engage in cherry-picking, you can always find research that supports your view," Linda Granlund tells sciencenorway.no.
"That's why we at the Norwegian Directorate of Health look at large summaries, incorporating different types of studies that point in the same direction. Only then can we provide advice to an entire population," she says.
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Linda Granlund at the Norwegian Directorate of Health recommends vegetable oils.(Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB)
350 new studies on diet and health every day
On average, 350 studies on the relationship between diet and health are published every day, according to Granlund.
She sees it as a positive development that so much research is being conducted in this field.
"Individual studies are extremely important, but they are only an indication of something until they are confirmed by other researchers and examined in relation to the overall body of research," she says.
Two types of fats
Saturated fats: Found in butter and fatty meat products, as well as in coconut oil and palm oil. This type of fat can increase the risk of plaque buildup in arteries and heart disease. Saturated fats are solid in the refrigerator and become soft at room temperature.
Unsaturated fats: Found in oils made from seeds or fruit. This type of fat is recommended in Norwegian national dietary guidelines because it is better for heart health and does not increase cholesterol levels. It also requires fewer resources to produce than animal fats. Unsaturated fats remain liquid at room temperature.
Secretary of Health Kennedy believes that seed oils cause inflammation in the body. This is what is said to cause the many diseases.
However, this has not been confirmed in randomised control trials, according to Sarah Berry. She is a professor of nutritional sciences at King’s College London. Speaking to The Guardian, she dismisses the claim that seed oils increase inflammation levels in the body.
Strict control over Norwegian food products
Kennedy is sceptical of seed oils because they are processed.
Vegetable oils are extracted from seeds and fruit that are crushed and pressed to release the oil.
To extract as much oil as possible, heat, a solvent, or water is used. The oil then undergoes several treatments, including filtration and the removal unwanted odour and taste.
"This is a purification process that does not alter the composition of fatty acids," says Granlund.
Animal fats are also processed.
"Butter doesn't come straight out of the cow," she says.
Granlund explains that the fat is treated using gentle methods.
"We maintain strict oversight of food products in Norway through the Norwegian Food Safety Authority – also when it comes to processing," she says.
The restaurant chain Steak 'n Shake has switched to using beef tallow in their fryers. US Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy was very pleased with their decision and praised the taste of the french fries.
In Norway, the intake of saturated fats has been around 14 to 15 per cent of total energy intake. The Norwegian Directorate of Health recommends reducing this to a maximum of 10 per cent and encourages people to eat less animal fats.
The reason is the risk of high cholesterol, which in turn increases the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases.
"We recommend that people primarily use vegetable fat sources, such as rapeseed, sunflower, and olive oils, because they provide beneficial fatty acids," says Granlund.
The exception is palm oil and coconut oil, as they contain a lot of saturated fats.
Granlund declined to comment on Kennedy's campaign against seed oils.
"As bureaucrats we usually don't comment on what politicians say or do. But in general, I can say that when giving dietary advice to an entire population, it should be based on solid research summaries," she says.
