Dear Healthy Friend,

Spring is in the air and summer’s fast approaching. I love the thought of hot, lazy days... Sitting outside with a good book... Playing with my daughter... Ice cream cones... Late-afternoon braais... Swimming (or not)...

Alas, there’s one problem. Donning a swimming costume… There’s not enough material to cover the winter bulges!

So, it’s onto that diet bandwagon to lose the winter comfort that’s perched itself around my waistline. First thing I'll do: Cut out fat. This should work... right?

Wrong!

Jenny Thompson has a new weight loss theory - eat more fat to lose fat. She has my attention... and I'm sure yours too. Keep reading...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S. Suffering from swollen legs is unsightly and uncomfortable. Dr Wright reveals the causes and the solutions.

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Eat fat to lose fat? It just might be crazy enough to work.

Jenny Thompson
Publisher of Healthier News

This is huge. And if you've bought into the hyped-up fear of saturated fats, it may be hard to believe. But a new study shows that you might trim abdominal fat with daily consumption of coconut oil – a saturated fat.

I'm sure you all know about the dangers of excess abdominal fat… Studies have linked an expanding waistline to higher risk of several dangerous conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and dementia.

In a new study from Brazil's Federal University of Alagoas, researchers recruited 40 women with abdominal obesity – waistlines bigger than 87.6 centimetres.

This was the study profile:

• For 12 weeks, half the group took a daily supplement of coconut oil (30ml) and half took a supplement of soybean oil (30 ml).
• All subjects followed a balanced, low-calorie diet that increased protein and fibre intake, and reduced carbohydrate intake.
• All subjects took a 50-minute walk each day.
• At the end of the intervention period, women in the soy oil group had higher LDL ('bad') cholesterol and lower HDL ('good') compared to levels measured before intervention.
• Women in the coconut oil group, however, increased HDL and lowered LDL.
• Body mass index was reduced in both groups, but only the coconut oil subjects lost circumference at the waistline.
• This is a remarkable result because abdominal fat is notoriously hard to get rid of.

Still sceptical about saturated fat benefits?

Why wouldn't you be? For years we've heard this "wisdom" offered as irrefutable: Lower your fat intake – especially saturated fats – and you'll lose weight and be healthier. But there's surprising evidence to the contrary.

HSI Panelist, Dr Allan Spreen, has pointed out that in the years since the "low-fat" fad became the accepted heart-health diet, obesity has increased dramatically. Dr. Spreen also repeats an important quote from Dr William Castelli, who was the director of the Framingham Study – one of the longest and largest heart disease studies in history.

Here's Dr. Castelli's quote as it appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine, July 1992: "At Framingham, we found that the people who ate the most saturated fat, the most cholesterol and the most calories weighed the least, were more physically active and had the lowest serum cholesterol levels."

More recently, Dr William Campbell Douglass II had this to say: "Don't let anyone tell you that animal fats are bad for you. They boost your energy and your immunity. They help your body build stronger and more resilient cells. They contain chemicals that help your brain stay focused, and even contain concentrated levels of 'good' HDL cholesterol."

The mainstream may never come around, but that doesn't mean WE have to follow the well-trod sheep path.

Please keep in mind that each individual has unique health concerns, so it's important you discuss major dietary changes or additions to your supplement regimen with a doctor or dietician.

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How to shrink swollen legs - FAST!

Q: My legs regularly get very swollen. Can you tell me why this is happening and what I can do about it?

Dr. Wright: First, visit a physician who can run tests to make sure your condition isn't the result of something serious, such as a weak heart, liver or kidneys.

Other causes of chronic leg swelling include food allergies, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes.

If there doesn't seem to be any logical cause for your swelling, you can usually reduce it with horse chestnut supplements. Try two to three capsules or tablets daily, standardised to contain 40 to 50 milligrams of escin each.