What has changed in the modern era is not the introduction of chemical pollutants, but
the disappearance of protective factors abundant in traditional diets — which have protected us from pollutants throughout history — from the modern menu.
The cause
of heart disease is not animal fats and cholesterol but rather a number
of factors inherent in modern diets, including excess consumption
of vegetables oils and hydrogenated fats; excess consumption
of refined carbohydrates in the form
of sugar and white flour; mineral deficiencies, particularly low levels
of protective magnesium and iodine; deficiencies
of vitamins, particularly
of vitamin C, needed for the integrity
of the blood vessel walls, and
of antioxidants like selenium and vitamin E, which protect us from free radicals; and, finally, the
disappearance of antimicrobial fats from the food supply, namely, animal fats and tropical oils.52 These once protected us against the kinds
of viruses and bacteria that have been associated with the onset
of pathogenic plaque leading to heart disease.