Are fats bad for you in the presence of carbohydrates?(I.e a 40% fat 40%carb diet)

Easy question. Yes.

would it have something to do with oxidation?

i dont know about the oxidation, but you low carb and your body is burning fat for energy, your body doesnt absorb the fat as it would if it was using carbs for energy, thats why its safe to eat high fat/low carb.

Without going to the reference books.

Carbs cause insulin to be released, and insulin promotes the storage of dietary fat as stored body fit do not pass go. In the absence of insulin, you'll burn the fat first. The only way to avoid the insulin is to avoid the carbs.

An even easier way to look at it is to consider that high fat intake isn't good for you and excess carbohydrates aren't good for you. So when you put them together they are obviously not good for you.

Tom

agreed. this is a main point of l.c. diets. Except (!!!), that a certain amount of fat IS good for you, even when doing a low fat (high carb ) diet. Carbohydrates (the high glycemic type) are pretty much bad for everyone one the planet, no matter what diet is followed. Our bodies can not function properly without fat, especially the healthier EFA fats. Saturated fat should always be taken in moderation, regardless of the particular diet (for some reason people on low carb diets seem to think that all fat is created equal. it's not.)

I was always under the impression that there were "good" fats and "bad" fats. Saturated fats being the "bad" fats.

Patty

The saturated fats are only bad for you in the presence of all the carbs we're eating. Think of the Inuit who only eat meat and saturated fat and have no heart disease. I never understood why God made animals with saturated fat if it was supposed to be bad for us.

(Sounds like a headline on O magazine...) Like "50 is the new 30" that was on MS a few years ago (do I date myself?)

Trans fats are bad.

Cis fats (natural mono- or polyunsaturates) are ok.

As noted above, saturated fats in the absence of carbs and wildly surging insulin are just fine.