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Sat 11 Feb, 2006 06:21 pm
Apologies if this is already posted here, but I thought it an interesting addition to the debate.
The trans fat stuff is interesting!
Mind you, as you all lnow, this is a rapidly changing field, so I won't be going out and stoking up on fat!
Low-Fat Diet's Benefits Rejected
Study Finds No Drop In Risk for Disease
By Rob Stein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 8, 2006; Page A01
Low-fat diets do not protect women against heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer or colon cancer, a major study has found, contradicting what had once been promoted as one of the cornerstones of a healthy lifestyle.
The eight-year study of nearly 50,000 middle-age and elderly women -- by far the largest, most definitive test of cutting fat from the diet -- did not find any clear evidence that doing so reduced their risks, undermining more than a decade of advice from many doctors.
The findings run contrary to the belief that eating less fat would have myriad health benefits, which had prompted health authorities to begin prominent campaigns to get people to eat less fat and the food industry to line grocery shelves with low-fat cookies, chips and other products.
"Based on our findings, we cannot recommend that most women should follow a low-fat diet," said Jacques Rossouw of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which funded the $415 million study.............
FULL WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE HERE
yup
I've been reading about this.
Back to ... everything in moderation.
One problem people who have no clue about nutrition have, is they eat "low fat" foods that are loaded with tons of sugar, sodium, empty calories. So they're not necessarily eating healthy by living off of low fat cookies, chips, ect. Coca-cola is fat free, but it'll still make you fat.
may i have some more bacon, please ?
kidding side, isn't the old rule of "everything" in moderation a pretty good one to live by ?
just look at me, i live by that rule and i'm as healthy as a horse ... and i feel like one too ! hbg
Yeah, I walked that tightrope of not getting enough fat in my diet, and it was not pleasant.
A girl needs fat! (Ok, guys too)
I've experimented with my own body to the point where I don't much listen to what others tell me how to eat anymore. I know what it needs, She lets me know if i need fat or an orange or whatever.
Really though, there are health consequences to not eating enough fat. Fat serves a function, just like everything else. Just 'cause the studies say "Hey, hey, fat ain't bad anymore" doesn't mean being obese and eating only fat is good either eh.
But you don't need a LOT of fat in your diet, and there's different types of fat. Eating foods high in saturated fat isn't healthy no matter how you slice it.
And you're right. You do need fat in your diet. You actually need some fat in your diet in order to efficiently burn fat.
butter, give me butter - but make it unsalted butter ! hbg
The empty calories of junk food include high percentages of fat.
No one needs junk food except the people who produce it and peddle it.
with the loss of my gall bladder I've been advised to eat a low fat diet. I was thinking at least I wouldn't get uterine cancer and now this.... dammit!!!!
Life's a bitch, and then you die....
(((((((((((((((((((((((((Bear)))))))))))))))))))))))))
A very, very low fat diet always puts me in a vile temper. Fat is a mood inhibitor.
This study does suggest that lowering saturated fat and trans fats in the diet does decrease health risks, (particularly when more fruits and vegetables are added to the diet). So, no way should it be construed as a license to chow down on the Big Macs and fries. Overall fat intake might not make much of a difference, but intake of saturated fats and trans fats, and decreasing these, apparently does make a significant difference.
Decreasing saturated and trans fats, and adding more fruits and vegetables to the diet, probably helps to control obesity too, since those changes likely will reduce calorie intake for many people. But, you still have to keep some eye on daily calorie intake to maintain a reasonable weight.
I'm not going to deny myself brownie cheesecake, which I eyed in the supermarket yesterday, but left on the shelf. It's still a once in a blue moon special treat.
And I do read labels on everything I buy, and I do pay special attention to saturated fat and trans fat amounts (as well as calories).
As long as I eat reasonably well on a daily basis, I'm not the least bit concerned (or guilty) when I do indulge in something that might be a little less healthy, as long as I don't indulge too often.
And some fats, like olive oil, are good for you, so it's also a matter of which fats you include in your diet. It's not an all or nothing deal.
The women in the study cited were all over 50. Suppose you reduce over-all fat intake at lower ages, like 20 or 30? Would that make a longterm difference?
Like everything else, you just have to be sensible about what you eat, and be aware of what you are putting into your mouth. Some eating patterns are healthier than others, and I don't think anyone's disputing that point.
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