Dr. Mary Enig passed away on September 8

[Projectile Vomit]

For those who aren't aware, Dr. Mary Enig passed away on September 8 at the age of 83. She's known for her work on the health benefits of certain types of fats - including saturated fats - and for her criticism of the diet-heart hypothesis and of trans fats. She wrote Eat Fat, Lose Fat and Nourishing Traditions with co-author Sally Fallon, as well as the must-own reference book on all types of fats and their health benefits/detriments: Know Your Fats.

As I get ready to travel for the 2014 Regional Wise Traditions Conference, organized by the Weston A. Price Foundation, I'm sad that I never had a chance to meet her in person.

[van]

let us know if you learn of the cause, such as heart disease...

[Joy2012]

let us know if you learn of the cause, such as heart disease...

Yes, please do. She was very much a lone voice in advocating saturated fats.

[Projectile Vomit]

I found out that she died of a stroke.

[Joy2012]

I found out that she died of a stroke.

With all due respect to her many good works and to her surviving family....
But just for the sake of consideration of an optimal diet ...What is the implication of death due to a stroke on the part of a scholar who actively promoted saturated fats?

[primalgirl]

She also promoted cooking food...just saying.

[Projectile Vomit]

What is the implication of death due to a stroke on the part of a scholar who actively promoted saturated fats?

The implication is that some element of her diet or lifestyle contributed to the cascade of problems that eventually led to her having a stroke at the comparatively old age of 83. The culprit could be any number of things, perhaps something she ate, something she didn't eat, or some other lifestyle choice she made.

She did eat cooked foods. So what? If it weren't for the research she did, it might well be that other pioneers in the ancestral health movement never would have found a reason to doubt the mainstream fat-phobia. So I honor her willingness and determination to speak truth to power, even if her lifestyle was different from mine.

[van]

I think what some of us might be wondering, is a high fat diet really suited to us in the long run? might it just add to some sort of clogged artery or blood vessel or capillary.    I do believe that fat does change when cooked.  One little clue for me, is simply notice how difficult it is to get cooked fat off of utensils, and how easily raw fat comes off.    I don't have the chemistry to know what that is about, but if it's the same in the body, then that just might be something.

[fwebster]

I have never posted here but I enjoy reading multiple times a day. I, of course, do not know what contributed to her stroke and do not wish to offer any conjecture. My concern is that people will be quick to be critical but how old should someone live and what should someone die of? In other words, if a person lives a completely "pure" paleo lifestyle, how long should they live? Also, since nobody is immortal, at what age should they die? I for one believe that a good life means living a long time and dying suddenly without a long drawn out illness.

[Joy2012]

I think what some of us might be wondering, is a high fat diet really suited to us in the long run? might it just add to some sort of clogged artery or blood vessel or capillary.    I do believe that fat does change when cooked.  One little clue for me, is simply notice how difficult it is to get cooked fat off of utensils, and how easily raw fat comes off.    I don't have the chemistry to know what that is about, but if it's the same in the body, then that just might be something.

good observation.

[TylerDurden]

Seems to me that her death is a sign that cooked animal fat is certainly not ideal  or healthy and that the whole saturated fat craze is a myth. I have nothing against raw animal fat, though, and consider it the best of all nutrients.

[goodsamaritan]

Aside from her research on fats, was she known to be an anal health nut like us?

[PaleoPhil]

Sorry to hear that, Eric.

[fwebster]

As a follow up to my post above, is death by stroke at 80+ years an unlikely outcome for any lifestyle including raw paleo? What is a likely way to die if one follows a completely raw paleo life? I am not being morbid here, I am trying to be more philosophical. There are some rather opinionated posters here, which makes reading so interesting. I would love someone to chime in here. Not specifically about Mary Enig but about how raw paleo adherents will reach their ultimate demise. I personally believe that a stroke or heart attack is the most likely possibility. 

[goodsamaritan]

We better leave word with our loved ones that they post the reasons for our demise in this forum so future readers will learn from our experiments.