下麵是2000年的一個東西，但是網上還有人常常引用，當然很多人不同意，僅供討論。至少可以這樣說，很長時間以來我們以為健康的東西可能不是那麽健康，反之亦然。飲食平衡，不走極端，大概是最好的態度。我認識一位女士，絕對不吃紅肉，吃雞肉一定要把雞皮扔掉，吃雞蛋一定要扔掉蛋黃，也非常重視身體鍛煉，一有時間就去森林觀察鳥類，好像是非常健康的生活方式，但是50多歲就因癌症去世，另一位吃同樣飲食的家庭成員也得了癌症（都是在美國）。有人認為她們就是動物脂肪吃得不夠。當然這種個例沒有太大意義。下麵是原文和翻譯，出處沒有翻譯，但都是比較權威的東西。我沒有認真考察，也許文章作者是畜牧業生產者雇的，代表特殊利益集團，不可輕信。貼在這兒為了拋磚引玉。翻譯的不確切之處也請指正。
Myth: Heart disease in America is caused by consumption of cholesterol and saturated fat from animal products.
神話：美國人的心髒病是由於吃高膽固醇和高飽和脂肪的肉類引起的。
Truth: During the period of rapid increase in heart disease (1920-1960), American consumption of animal fats declined but consumption of hydrogenated and industrially processed vegetable fats increased dramatically. (USDA-HNI)
事實：在心髒病發病率激增的40年中（1920-1960），美國人的動物脂肪消費量減少了，氫化植物油或工業加工植物油的消費則大幅度增加了。
Myth: Saturated fat clogs arteries.
神話：飽和脂肪阻塞動脈血管。
Truth: The fatty acids found in artery clogs are mostly unsaturated (74%) of which 41% are polyunsaturated. (Lancet 1994 344:1195)
事實：阻塞動脈血管的物質中不飽和脂肪居多（74%）而在這些不飽和脂肪中，41%是多不飽和脂肪。
Myth: Vegetarianism is healthy.
神話：素食是健康的生活方式。
Truth: The annual all-cause death rate of vegetarian men is slightly more than that of non-vegetarian men (.93% vs .89%); the annual death rate of vegetarian women is significantly more than that of non-vegetarian women (.86% vs .54%) (Am J Clin Nutr 1982 36:873)
素食男性的年度死亡率（各種原因）略高於非素食男性。（0.93% 比 0.89%) 素食女性的年度死亡率則明顯高於非素食女性（各種原因）。(0.86 比 0.54%)
Myth: Vitamin B12 can be obtained from certain plant sources such as blue-green algae and soy products.
神話：維生素B12可以從植物性食物，例如藍藻和大豆產品中獲得。
Truth: Vitamin B12 is not absorbed from plant sources. Modern soy products increase the body's need for B12. (Soybeans: Chemistry & Technology Vol 1 1972)
事實：植物來源的維生素B12無法吸收。現代的大豆製品隻能引起人體對維生素B12的更多的需求。
Myth: For good health, serum cholesterol should be less than 180 mg/dl.
神話：為了保持良好的健康，血漿膽固醇的濃度應該低於180毫克。
Truth: The all-cause death rate is higher in individuals with cholesterol levels lower than 180 mg/dl. (Circulation 1992 86:3:1026-1029)
事實：血漿膽固醇濃度低於180毫克的人的各種原因的死亡率更高。
Myth: Animal fats cause cancer and heart disease.
神話：動物脂肪引起癌症和心髒病。
Truth: Animal fats contain many nutrients that protect against cancer and heart disease; elevated rates of cancer and heart disease are associated with consumption of large amounts of vegetable oils. (Fed Proc July 1978 37:2215)
事實：動物脂肪含有大量的可以防癌和防心髒病的營養成分。癌症和心髒病的發病率的提高與植物油的大量消費有關。
Myth: Children benefit from a low-fat diet.
神話：低脂肪食譜有利於兒童健康。
Truth: Children on low-fat diets suffer from growth problems, failure to thrive & learning disabilities. (Food Chem News 10/3/94)
兒童吃低脂肪食物會有發育問題和智障。
Myth: A low-fat diet will make you "feel better . . . and increase your joy of living."
神話：吃低脂肪食品能讓你感覺更好，增加生活的樂趣。
Truth: Low-fat diets are associated with increased rates of depression, psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide. (Lancet 3/21/92 v339)
低脂肪飲食與抑鬱症、心理問題、過勞、暴力和自殺相伴隨。
Myth: To avoid heart disease, we should use margarine instead of butter.
神話：為了防止心髒病，應該用麥淇淋代替奶油。
Truth: Margarine eaters have twice the rate of heart disease as butter eaters. (Nutrition Week 3/22/91 21:12)
事實：吃麥淇淋比吃奶油得心髒病的風險高一倍。
Myth: Americans do not consume enough essential fatty acids.
神話：美國人必要脂肪酸吃得不夠。
Truth: Americans consume far too much of one kind of EFA (omega-6 EFAs found in most polyunsaturated vegetable oils) but not enough of another kind of EFA (omega-3 EFAs found in fish, fish oils, eggs from properly fed chickens, dark green vegetables and herbs, and oils from certain seeds such as flax and chia, nuts such as walnuts and in small amounts in all whole grains.) (Am J Clin Nutr 1991 54:438-63)
事實：美國人Omega 6脂肪（主要來自多不飽和脂肪植物油）吃得太多，Omega3脂肪（主要來自魚、魚油、自然飼養的雞的雞蛋、深綠色蔬菜、亞麻籽、南美小米、核桃等小規模種植的植物）吃得不夠。
Myth: A vegetarian diet will protect you against atherosclerosis.
神話：植物性食譜可以防止動脈硬化。
Truth: The International Atherosclerosis Project found that vegetarians had just as much atherosclerosis as meat eaters. (Lab Invest 1968 18:498)
事實：素食者和肉食者在動脈硬化方麵沒有區別。
Myth: Low-fat diets prevent breast cancer.
神話：低脂肪食物可以預防乳腺癌。
Truth: A recent study found that women on very low-fat diets (less than 20%) had the same rate of breast cancer as women who consumed large amounts of fat. (NEJM 2/8/96)
事實：脂肪吃得非常少的婦女和脂肪吃得非常多的婦女患乳腺癌的風險相同。
Myth: The "cave man diet" was low in fat.
神話：原始人類是吃低脂飲食的。
Truth: Throughout the world, primitive peoples sought out and consumed fat from fish and shellfish, water fowl, sea mammals, land birds, insects, reptiles, rodents, bears, dogs, pigs, cattle, sheep, goats, game, eggs, nuts and milk products. (Abrams, Food & Evolution 1987)
事實：世界不同民族的原始時期都是從魚類、貝類、水禽、海生哺乳動物、陸地禽類、昆蟲、鼠類、犬類、豬、牛、羊、熊、蛋等動物性來源獲得脂肪。
Myth: Coconut oil causes heart disease.
神話：椰子油引起心髒病。
Truth: When coconut oil was fed as 7% of energy to patients recovering from heart attacks, the patients had greater improvement compared to untreated controls, and no difference compared to patents treated with corn or safflower oils. Populations that consume coconut oil have low rates of heart disease. Coconut oil may also be one of the most useful oils to prevent heart disease because of its antiviral and antimicrobial characteristics. (JAMA 1967 202:1119-1123; Am J Clin Nutr 1981 34:1552)
事實：給心髒病人吃椰子油（占需要能量的百分之七），他們的恢複比對照組好得多，而吃玉米又和葵花籽油的則與對照組無區別。常吃椰子油的民族較少發生心髒病。椰子油對心髒的好處的另一可能是其抗病毒和抗菌特性。
Myth: Saturated fats inhibit production of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.
神話：飽和脂肪阻礙防炎症的前列腺素的產生。
Truth: Saturated fats actually improve the production of all prostaglandins by facilitating the conversion of essential fatty acids. (Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation Journal 20:3)
事實：飽和脂肪實際上幫助上述前列腺素的產生。
Myth: Arachidonic acid in foods like liver, butter and egg yolks causes production of "bad" inflammatory prostaglandins.
神話：動物肝髒、奶油和蛋黃中的花生四烯酸會產生引起炎症的壞的前列腺素。
Truth: Series 2 prostaglandins that the body makes from arachidonic acid both encourage and inhibit inflammation under appropriate circumstances. Arachidonic acid is vital for the function of the brain and nervous system. (Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation Journal 20:3)
從花生四烯酸轉化來的第二係列的前列腺素在適當條件下既有引起炎症的作用又有抗炎作用。對於腦神經係統說來，花生四烯酸非常重要。
Myth: Beef causes colon cancer
神話：牛肉引起結腸癌。
Truth: Argentina, with higher beef consumption, has lower rates of colon cancer than the US. Mormons have lower rates of colon cancer than vegetarian Seventh Day Adventists (Cancer Res 35:3513 1975)
事實：牛肉比美國吃得更多的阿根廷人的結腸癌發病率比美國低。
