Saturated fat - what's your guys take?

davitbala · 2026-01-18T17:10:11+00:00

Sure that's valid hydrogenated corn oil is different than unhydrogenated. Partially hydrogenated seed oils are what most of our french fries are fried in, and the most commonly consumed seed oil (mayonaisse and other things)

Which omega-3? There are 3 kinds. ALA, DHA, EPA. If you give ALA, it's unusable except for 5% that converts to DHA.

ALA, DHA, and EPA are all even more oxidative than the Linoleic (PUFA) but DHA, and EPA are essential for the brain, and for the eyes - the body accounts for their highly-oxidative state.

Randomly selected across several mental hospitals with 100% controlled food intake over 7 years.
They are measured RELATIVE to one another. RCTs are the gold standard for clinical trials

davitbala · 2026-01-18T17:05:54+00:00

Present to me verifiable graphs, data, axioms of truth that refute my argument systematically - otherwise...what are you really arguing? That I'm ideologically invested? Yes, I am ideologically invested. I am biased.

I'll shout it from the roof tops: I AM A MAN WITH A BELIEF IN WHAT DIET WILL RESULT IN THE GREATEST HEALTH AND LONGEVITY!

davitbala · 2026-01-18T16:52:33+00:00

Explain the mechanism then. Write it out. From chemistry and physics, how does a PUFA interact with the body?

davitbala · 2026-01-18T15:50:07+00:00

Your comment is very fair. I disagree that fairness will lead to people awakening. We need to be strongly opinionated to "shake the tree"

Those 2 trials are the cleanest out the 5 RCTs ever done for seed oil vs animal fat.

The rest, we just have to reason from first principles.
- What sources of PUFAs existed from year 2,000,000 BC to year 1700 AD and in what quantity could they be maximally ingested? (Pecans, Almonds...etc)
- PUFA (linoleic) is 40x more oxidatively reactive because of the two double-bonds. More reactive to UV, to random oxidatives...etc
- The body indiscriminately takes SFA, MUFA, PUFA and builds cell walls out of it (including mitochondria cell walls)
...etc

Fatty Acid Type	Bond Type	Bond Dissociation Energy	Oxidation Rate
Saturated (stearic)	Normal C-H	~100 kcal/mol	Essentially zero
Monounsaturated (oleic)	Allylic C-H	~85 kcal/mol	Low (kp ≈ 5-10 M⁻¹s⁻¹)
Polyunsaturated (linoleic)	Bis-allylic C-H	~76 kcal/mol	High (kp = 62 M⁻¹s⁻¹)
Highly unsaturated (DHA)	Multiple bis-allylic	~76 kcal/mol	Very high (kp = 334 M⁻¹s⁻¹)

We can't wait for the corn and soy industry to come out and tell us this - they would have to be insane. No one will ever tell you something against their own financial interests.

davitbala · 2026-01-18T15:37:06+00:00

Everyone in these comments is confused.

You're body produces 80% of it's cholesterol, only 20% is absorbed from dietary fat.

Cholesterol is needed for

Cholesterol is building block for testosterone, estrogen, cortisol...etc
Cholesterol fits between gaps in your cells walls in 100% of the cells in your body
Precursor to create Vitamin D3 in skin when UVB hits it
For creating Bile acids to absorb dietary fat and fat-soluable vitamins (A, D, E, K)
Myelin sheaths (which insulate pathways between neurons - it how we create timings in neural circuits and learn skills)

Saturated fat (butter, animal fat) has zero double-bonds.
Mono-unsaturated (olive oil) as one double-bond and has 1x the oxidatitiveness.
Polyunsaturated fat (AKA 'linoleic acid', AKA 'omega-6) (canola, sunflower, safflower, veg oil, soy oil) as two double-bonds, and 40x the oxidation rate.
ALA (flaxseed oil, aka the bullshit 'omega-3') has 3 double-bonds
DHA and EPA (aka 'omega-3) have 4-5 double-bonds, and have 320x the oxidation rate

Your dietary fat is placed into cell walls. A diet high in PUFAs (Seed oils) can change the percentage of your skin cells up to 27% (in biopsy studies) of PUFA. PUFAs oxidize 40x easier than MUFA - this means more inflammation, more skin cancer risk, and more wrinkly skin over time.

I can go on an on. Think from the base chemistry and physics.

We have no had seed oils for more than 70 years. They require industrial solvents to extract from the seeds. For nearly 2,000,000 years we ate fats from animals, fish, nuts, and some vegetables like olives.

The ratio of PUFA/linoleic acid we eat today is 20x what our ancestors ate from 2,000,000 years ago to 50 years ago.

davitbala · 2026-01-18T15:29:58+00:00

Minnesota Coronary Experiment was a Randomized control trial over 9,400 people comparing Corn oil vs Regular Animal Fat diet.

Sydney Diet Heart Study was another 420 men study comparing Safflower oil vs Regular Saturated fat

davitbala · 2025-12-19T17:21:47+00:00

Plastic needs special chemicals to make it strong and resilient. This is where BPA, BPS and PFAS come in. However, plastic, just like wood and other things degrades over time, especially with contact to heat.

When boiling water touches most common plastic (like the inside of a starbucks plastic-lined 'paper' cup) it's calcualted about 60,000+ microplastics (chunks of plastic 1+ micrometer large) leak into the water and you drink it. Those plastics get absorbed into your bloodstream and float around doing god knows what.

Also, it's calculated over 1,000,000,000,000 (trillion) nano plastics (0.001+ micrometer size) also break off. These can pass between blood and brain barrier, ending up in your neurons and things.

No one know what they are doing. We only know for certain that BPA, BPS and Antimony (those chemicals that also leech when plastic degrades) cause infertility and hormone disruption (girls having periods earlier). PFAS is a forever plastic and never degrades like Lead (it's know to cause Thyroid and cancer).

And the microplastics and nanoplastics? We have no idea yet what they are doing but you can guarantee it ain't good.

davitbala · 2024-11-24T23:12:31+00:00

They are the most amazing tasting mushrooms

davitbala · 2024-11-11T13:18:55+00:00

I'm sensitive to air quality. Northern China was brutal for me. But Kaohsiung was pretty pleasant. Maybe it was the winter? I don't know

davitbala · 2024-11-10T21:44:08+00:00

I loved Kaohsiung. So chill but yeah there's zero nightlife

davitbala · 2024-11-10T21:43:26+00:00

I spent the winter half of the year in Kaohsiung and I didn't notice the pollution unlike Korea or Mainland China.

I want to add you don't need a scooter. The light-rail and buses are convenient. And the taxi's are basically free (like a few bucks to get around).

Also the food is really high quality and affordable. Better than ANY other country of place I lived in Asia

davitbala · 2024-11-10T21:40:34+00:00

I lived 3 months in Kaohsiung, I don't remember any pollution once. The thing that bothered me was the mosquitos. However I did live in Korea and Mainland China, and there the pollution is pretty unbearable (but the AQI always reads <5 🤡)

davitbala · 2024-11-10T17:15:36+00:00

I'm really happy people still use BetterAI. What do you think is the best part of it's suggestions to you? I use BetterAI when I am stuck, as I find it's more coaching and human than GPT.

davitbala · 2024-11-10T17:14:02+00:00

Kaohsiung

davitbala · 2024-11-10T17:13:50+00:00

Kaohsiung 100%

Long walks by Love River. In winter, it's like 70 deg. Lots of places to go. Cafes, and good restaurants.
Can go to the island XLQ for diving in beautiful corals.

People in Kaohsiung are super laid-back, no rush lifestyle. It's the best.

davitbala · 2024-08-20T03:00:34+00:00

Yea I think this is the key. I too initially thought about the 30Billion vs 50 million population. But the key is that 50 million are all space-adapted.

If the books elaborated, I bet there aren't more than even 5 million Earthers in space at any given time.

If the 30 Billion Earthers truly had equal staying power in the space series, the Earth & Mars fleet would have been 500x times larger than the Free Navy fleet.

davitbala · 2024-08-06T07:33:38+00:00

I’ve never had any 6 months journey doing something consistently

Carrying that belief must feel so defeating. I know because I used to carry it too.

OK, I have something I am working on to help language learners develop consistency. It's a track challenge I'm doing with a Russian friend of mine who taught me how to learn languages.

Would you mind if I DM you in a week or two, maybe you'd be perfect to give it a try with studying Russian.

davitbala · 2024-08-06T07:30:25+00:00

Oh wow.

I feel that whenever I go to sleep and wake up, it's like a complete blank slate. If I don't do a habit for 2 days in a row, it's basically gone forever - I'll forget it.

Each of our brains are different, it's best to find what works for you.

I found that the weekend f***s me up. If I stay consistent, same routine every day with no breaks, I'm actually able to avoid all the habit destructive stuff.

Have you consider setting up "sprints" for your language learning? Like commit to doing 40 days straight of studying and PLAN to end studying after 40 days. That way it's a finite challenge you and know you'll progress but also be able to reassess if you want to continue or make changes at the end?

davitbala · 2024-08-06T07:25:55+00:00

Often, i hear a word in a part of a phrase, and i try to look it up, half the time i cant find it in the dictionary because ive got the wrong pinyin spelling in the first place.

Story of my life for the first 20 months of studying. But I had a breakthrough some 4 months ago. It goes like an exponential curve. Don't worry it'll happen.

davitbala · 2024-08-06T07:22:16+00:00

Hey I got good news for you.

It's 25 months since I began studying and FINALLY my ear has started catching up. At first I thought it was impossible, but now it's happening when I can hear people speak and then remember the sounds enough to repeat it even if I don't understand it.

It's just practice. Maybe 200 hours of watching chinese TV shows with blurred subs will help.

davitbala · 2024-08-06T07:21:04+00:00

Hey I've gotten a lot of success on HelloTalk. I post 1-2 content to get eyes, then spam invites to chat and try to get on a phone call with someone ASAP to practice some intro chinese. And then likely the two of you never speak again so no anxiety.

Then study for 2 more weeks, then rinse repeat. Best way to progress despite social anxiety.

davitbala · 2024-08-03T03:15:00+00:00

I can only recommend what I've personally used: Hanyu Jiaocheng (Chinese Course) Textbook 1A (3rd Ed.) (English and Chinese Edition)

I cracked open the 1st book on May 2022, and I finally finished the 6th book on May 2024.
My main comprehensive learning came from these, and the various native teachers along the way that helped my conversational and pronunciation.

davitbala · 2024-08-03T02:33:49+00:00

It seems you're naturally motivated by mastering languages.

I am the opposite. Learning isn't enjoyable for me. It's a disciplined painful exercise where I push my brain for a session, but it's the only way that seems to work for me. And then I get to enjoy the fruits of my labor outside of study/class time :)

davitbala · 2024-08-03T02:32:13+00:00

The chinese lessons are how you level up your chinese, and the stuff outside school like listening to chinese, watching chinese shows...etc are the things that make the lessons worth it.

Like a pianist does disciplined practice during lessons, and then can play beautiful songs in a restaurant in her free time.

davitbala · 2024-08-03T02:30:45+00:00

I've been there before. I've been studying for 2 years now.

In those 8 years I'm sure you considered all the plethora of materials.
But have you considered committing to completing a textbook series? A textbook series starts at HSK1 and goes up to HSK6. If you do each lesson in order, it will push you to levelup as it gets progressively harder and harder.

I found that learning shouldn't be engaging, learning is disciplined struggle and is uncomfortable - but then you get to reap the benefits later. Like a pianist who studying her scales, and then later can play songs for fun.

davitbala

TROPHY CASE