Diet study report

C. James Strutz said:

A study suggesting that all of 4 popular diets (Atkins, Zone, Weight Watchers, Ornish) are
effective in losing weight and reducing the risk of heart disease. It goes on to say that the
Ornish (vegetarian) diet was the best for lowering LDL cholesterol and the worst for raising HDL
cholesterol.

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Despite your analysis, I think this paragraph is important: While the dieters reduced heart disease
"risk factors" such as cholesterol levels, overall blood pressure did not drop much and the study
did not last long enough to see if this translated into a lower long-term risk of heart disease.

I also disagree with Ornish about the emphasis of HDL. A sound diet will both lower LDL and elevate
HDL. A *balanced* approach will have the fastest impact on reducing heart disease risks. One way to
elevate HDL is through exercise, but clearly consumption of certain oils is beneficial. Ornish's
very strict veg-n diet avoids even beneficial polyunsaturated oils like olive and canola.