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Low Fat Diets and Disease Prevention

High Fat Diets Are In Again?

In February 2006, the Journal of the American Medical Association published the results of a study about diet that has set just about all conventional thinking on the subject on its ear.

The study involved approximately 49,000 women between the ages of 50 to 79 and lasted eight years. It was one of the biggest and most important studies on diet ever done and the results were, to put it mildly, surprising to many.

The study found that those assigned to a low-fat diet had the same rates of breast cancer, colon cancer, heart attack and stroke as those who ate whatever they pleased.

Dr. Michael Thun, director of epidemiological research for the American Cancer Society was quoted in the New York times, saying that since the study was so large and expensive, it was “the Rolls-Royce of studies” and is likely to be the final word on the subject. “We usually have only one shot at a very large-scale trial on a particular issue.”

Dr. Jules Hirsch, Physician in Chief Emeritus at Rockefeller University, who has spent his career studying the effect of diet on weight and health called the study “revolutionary.” He stated that “They (the studies) should put a stop to this era of thinking that we have all the information we need to change the whole national diet and make everybody healthy.”

According to the Times: ‘The results, the study investigators agreed, do not justify recommending low-fat diets to the public to reduce heart disease and cancer risk…The best dietary advice, for now, is to follow federal guidelines for healthy eating, with less saturated and trans fats, more grains and more fruits and vegetables.”

[Note that this research only involved fat and disease. It said nothing about fat and obesity. For weight control purposes, we should all watch the amount of fats we consume.]

So what to do? This study comes on top of other studies that have found:

• Dietary fiber doesn’t prevent colon cancer
• Coffee contains powerful antioxidants and can be good for you
• Dark chocolate contains similar antioxidant properties and is okay to eat.

It seems we will continue to get more – and more conflicting – information as we go on. My suggestion is eat a healthy diet made up of all the major food groups and don’t worry about caffeine, or salt or fat, as long as you use moderation.

For more information, please read What's a Healthy Diet?

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be taken as medical advice.

 

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