Our 200th episode is a special and unique one with an in-depth panel discussion on the topic of saturated fat. On the panel are Dr. Spencer Nadolsky, Stephen Guyenet PhD, Chris Masterjohn PhD and Brad Dieter PhD. The Panellists 1) Dr. Spencer Nadolsky Dr. Nadolsky is a a board certified family and obesity medicine physician. He is known for being extremely passionate about using exercise and lifestyle interventions as medicine, where possible. Dr. Nadolsky runs an online clinic, SteadyMD.com, where he can help patients all over America. He is also the author of The Fat Loss Prescription. 2) Stephan Guyenet, PhD Stephan is an obesity researcher, neurobiologist, and author. In addition to his research, he enjoys synthesizing and communicating science for a general audience over at his hugely successful blog. Stephan has a BS. in biochemistry (University of Virginia) and a PhD in neurobiology (University of Washington). He recently published the fantastic book ‘The Hungry Brain’, which dives into the causes of obesity from the perspective of overeating and related brain chemistry. 3) Chris Masterjohn, PhD Chris has a PhD in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Connecticut. He was formerly an Assistant Professor of Health and Nutrition Sciences at Brooklyn College. Chris currently writes detailed nutritional science articles on his blog chrismasterjohnphd.com and hosts a podcast, Mastering Nutrition. 4) Brad Dieter, PhD Brad holds a PhD. in exercise physiology from the University of Idaho. Brad has also done research training as a fellow in biomedical research, examining how nutrition and metabolism influence disease. Brad also runs Science Driven Nutrition, an online platform that aims to spread evidence-based nutrition information. In This Episode We Discuss: Differences between different SFA’s (butyric vs. lauric vs. myristic, etc.) Benefits of consumption of SFA-containing foods? Effects at cellular level: ease of storage, oxidation proneness of different fatty acid types, role in cell membrane Effect of SFA on LDL-C & LDL-P (and hence CHD risk) Effect of SFA on blood lipids Effect of SFA (and/or total dietary fat) on food intake: effect on satiety? palatability? Reducing SFA: If lowering SFA intake, how much does the replacing nutrient make (MUFA vs. PUFA vs. CHO vs. PRO) Food sources/Delivery method: Isolated SFA intake (e.g. spoonfuls of coconut oil) vs. SFA packaged alongside other nutrients/fibre and phytonutrients (e.g. some oil drizzled on a salad) Practical Implications: Is there a best target intake range of SFA for health? Is there an “optimal” ratio of SFA:MUFA:PUFA? Are current nutritional guidelines for SFA intake suitable? (The American Heart Association recommends aiming for a dietary pattern that achieves 5% to 6% of calories from saturated fat.) Sigma Seminar: http://sigmanutrition.com/seminar2017/