When Will Low Fat Diets Go Away?

by James B. LaValle 06/03/2008
For the average person, the changes we’ve seen as to how diet contributes to heart disease have been interesting, but for many people they have also been exhausting and confusing.
For two decades we were taught that diets high in fat and cholesterol contribute to heart disease; this teaching has been dubbed the “diet-heart hypothesis.” Low fat diets were recommended by every large health organization, and people adopted the low fat way of life. There was only one problem — heart disease rates did not drop. They continued to climb.
Over the years, the diet-heart hypothesis has been crumbling one wall at a time. First, we learned that only one type of fat clearly contributes to heart disease, and that some oils even have health benefits. So trans-fats are out and olive oil is in.
Then, newer studies showed that eating dietary cholesterol does not have a significant impact on raising cholesterol in the blood, which is still considered a risk factor for heart disease.1 So we are “allowed” to eat eggs and shrimp again. So far, most of you are still on board and rolling with the punches.
In the meantime, low-carb diets held some serious surprises. People did not want to believe it at first, but low-carb diets showed they do indeed lower risks of heart disease and diabetes. Longer-term studies have even shown no deleterious effects from them, despite the higher animal protein, saturated fat, and cholesterol intake.2-4
In fact, low-carb diets are the primary reason that the whole saturated fat and cholesterol ideas have pretty much collapsed. Low-carb diets have been studied now from nearly every angle, and what is consistently seen is that low carb diets — even though they are higher in saturated fat and cholesterol — lower risk of heart disease and even diabetes, a disease that greatly increases risk of heart disease.
What concerns me however, is that despite evidence to the contrary, and despite the urging of the most prominent researchers in this area, the American Heart Association (AHA) still has not changed its dietary guidelines; they still recommend lowering one’s intake of saturated fat and cholesterol to lower risk of heart disease.5
Because we have not yet had a paradigm change on this by the AHA, most practitioners hold back from recommending a low-carb diet and continue to instead recommend a low-fat diet. And this creates a lot of confusion for the average person who is just trying to decide what they should really be doing.
While all of this may be tiring for you to keep track of, the progression of information has actually been extremely helpful in defining what REALLY causes heart disease — and that is inflammation. Therefore, anything that increases inflammation in the body, like insulin, caused by high-carb diets is the real risk factor for heart disease.
When it comes to diet and heart disease, consumers need to rest assured in the fact that the best diet for prevention of heart disease is one that is lower in carbs, but high in dietary antioxidants. The only fat to concern yourself with, is trans-fat. I no longer advise lowering intake of cholesterol.
But what about saturated fat? I can tell you that clinically, I do not find saturated fat to be a factor in elevated cholesterol, even “bad” LDL cholesterol. In fact, almost all of my clients experience improved lipid profiles by lowering carb intake, not saturated fat.
Over the past few years, I have seen conflicting headlines and messages about saturated fat. As the one remaining factor in the debate on diet and heart disease, saturated fat deserves our time and attention.
In my next article I will discuss where the science is now, and what we will need to keep our eye on when it comes to saturated fat.
References
1. Fernandez ML. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2006;9:8-12.
2. Joshipura K, et al. Public Health Nutr. 2008 Apr 15:1-7.
3. Halton TL et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Feb;87(2):339-46.
4. Luscombe-Marsh, N et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2005 81:773-779.
5. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1510.
[Ed. Note: Jim LaValle is an educator, clinician and industry consultant in the field of integrative healthcare. He is a licensed pharmacist, board certified clinical nutritionist and doctor of naturopathic medicine with more than 20 years clinical practice experience in the field of natural therapeutics and functional medicine. Named one of the "50 Most Influential Druggists" by American Druggist for his work in natural medicine, LaValle has authored 13 books, including his latest, Cracking the Metabolic Code. For more information, click here.]

Low Fat Fallacy

By Jim Foster

I guess we all know that obesity is at epidemic levels. It's drummed into us from all angles. Isn't it strange that we have the biggest range of low-fat foods available but we keep getting fatter?

Isn't somebody going to stand up and say "It hasn't worked"?

In the 70's and 80's we were told that fat was the enemy, and carbohydrates were good. The USDA Healthy Food Pyramid had carbs as the base (6-11 servings per day). There was however, little mention of the quality of these carbohydrates.

Manufacturers were quick to respond, and began bringing out "Low Fat", "Fat-Free", and "Lite" versions of various food products. These are generally the biggest selling items, and have resulted in lot's of clever marketing tactics - in fact anything to make the consumer feel guilty, and look for the "Fat-Free" option.

Milk - Is Whole Milk Really That Bad?

Most of our modern milk undergoes the process of homogenisation. This process forces the fat globules into an atomiser (i.e. tiny holes) that will form tiny particles. These particles are then evenly dispersed throughout the milk, giving the milk a uniform appearance. Most of our low fat, trim, super-trim milks are created using this process.

However, recent research has shown that structural changes do occur in the homogenisation process. In unhomogenised milk, an enzyme called xanthine oxidase would pass throught the digestive system, and be secreted harmlessly through the bowel. The homogenisation process allows this enzyme to enter the bloodstream.

Some researchers are saying the enzyme attacks the issues of our heart and arteries, encouranging an increase in cholesterol levels!

Low Fat Hasn't Worked

The evidence of the last twenty years, is showing us that just choosing a low-fat version of a food is not helping us lose weight. In fact, we need to question, the processes that go on to make certain foods "low fat".

Many blame a high amount of refined carbohydrates (white flours, sugars) as having an impact on our weight problem.

Why Are We So Fat?

More and more evidence is showing that we eat too much, and exercise too little. Our lifestyles are very sedentary, and portion size has increased. The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) has concluded that "we eat a lot – a whole lot more than we used to, and most of the increase comes from refined carbohydrates (sugar)."

In the 1970's the average person ate 136 pounds of flour and cereal products per year and now it's up to 200 pounds. The increase is almost all from processed, white flour, high sugar foods. In addition, everything has been super-sized. Example: 1955 McDonald's French fries – 2.4 ounces, 210 calories. 2004 Super size Fries – 7 ounces, 610 calories.

What's The Answer?

Don't get too hung up complex nutrient ratios told to you by the latest diet book. You need to find what works for you and your body. It's a process of trial and error. Start with a diet, then keep working at it until you find what is best for you and your health.

Try to eat whole unprocessed food where possible, and eat little and often to regulate your energy levels. Go easy on all the refined foods - it's hard - because everywhere you go - most of the food is made from cheap refined flours and base products.

Also try to get out and stretch your legs more often.

http://www.freedieting.com is a resource for everything concerning losing weight. Independent reviews of popular diets, free diet plans, and articles taking a serious look at the causes and solution of weight problems

This article is available for reprint in your ezine or website. No changes should be made, and all links left in tact. (c) 2004 http://www.FreeDieting.com. All Rights Reserved

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DIET RENDAH LEMAK 8 TAHUN, TERNYATA BOHONG

Diet rendah lemak, betul bohong tak ada hasilnya. Selama 8 tahun, 48,835 wanita diminta mengikuti diet rendah lemak. Biaya yang dikeluarkan $415 juta dolar dimulai tahun 1998 dan dibuka hasilnya Februari, 2006.Studi ini disponsori oleh Women Health Initiative.

Inilah hasilnya:

Kanker payudara : hasilnya tidak menunjukkan angka yang signifikan bahwa low fat diet mengurangi kanker payudara
Kanker Usus Besar : walaupun diet mereka telah diubah, tidak ada bukti intervensi ini bisa mengurangi kanker usus besar.
Penyakit jantung : LDL si kolesterol jelek, memang turun, tetapi pengurangan lemak menambah asupan sayur, buah buahan,atau karbo, selama 8,1 tahun ini tidak berhasil menurunkan resiko penyakit jantung dan stroke.

Walaupun mereka mengakui hasilnya tidak seperti yang mereka harapkan, mereka berkeras bahwa “kita tidak boleh meninggalkan healty diet yang sudah teruji ini” Ya benar “healty diet” ini sudah teruji hingga rak supermarket dipenuhi produk “rendah lemak” kalau ditinggalkan banyak yang rugi dong.

Low fat diet ternyata tidak mampu melindungi kita dari penyakit kronis.