Fri, 21 Nov 2003 04:28:16 GMT in article <
[email protected]> "Dr.
Andrew B. Chung,
MD/PhD" <
[email protected]> wrote:
>
[email protected] wrote:
>
>> On 20 Nov 2003 19:18:25 -0800,
[email protected] (Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD) wrote:
>>
>> >> >> The issue here is your claim that "Low fat diets are actually better grounded in basic
>> >> >> science research". Walter Willett says otherwise. Now guess whom the readers will believe,
>> >> >> you or Dr. Willett?
>> >> >
>> >> >Who's *here*, me or Dr. Willett?
>> >> >
>> >> Does it make your claim right, if you are "here", as you put it?
>> >
>> >Does make me more believable *here*, now doesn't it?
>>
>> NO! Willett is much more believable. Matt
>
>Go ahead and *overeat* a high-fat diet then. Would be more than happy to take your money when you
>need my services
Must remember to send a "thank you" note to Dr. Willett for giving me job
>security by distracting folks from controlling food quantity.
>
You're displaying the typical arrogance based on ignorance. See the following excerpts from
Harvard web pages
Fats and Cholesterol - The Good, The Bad, and The Healthy Diet. Harvard School of Public Health
Nutrition Source.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats.html
"Eat a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet." Most of us have heard this simple recommendation so
often over the past two decades that we can recite it in our sleep. Touted as a way to lose
weight and prevent cancer and heart disease, it's no wonder much of the nation--and food producers--
hopped on board.
Unfortunately, this simple message now seems largely out of date. Detailed research--
particularly that done at Harvard-- shows that the total amount of fat in the diet, whether high
or low, has no real link with disease. Rather, what really matters is the type of fat in the
diet. There are bad fats that increase the risk for certain diseases and good fats that lower
the risk. The key is to substitute good fats for bad fats."
and
Carbohydrates
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates.html
"For years, you've probably heard the advice to cut back on the total amount of fat you eat and
to consume more complex carbohydrates. And thousands of "low-fat" alternatives now crowd the
supermarket shelves. But is simply cutting back on fat and loading up on carbohydrates a healthy
way to eat or to lose weight? Current research suggests that it isn't. Just as researchers
learned that not all types of fat are bad, they're also discovering that not all types of
carbohydrates are good.
It's easy to fall into the "low-fat trap." Because fat, gram- for-gram, has more than twice as
many calories as either protein or carbohydrates, it seems logical that choosing low- fat
products would help with weight loss. However, all too often the low-fat products on supermarket
shelves are packed with sugar to make up for the taste that's lost when fat is removed.
While people think that a low-fat alternative will hasten weight loss, it often has just as many
calories as the full- fat version--and may even have more. In addition, many people mistakenly
think that because a food is low in fat, they can eat as much of it as they want without gaining
weight. But as far as the body is concerned, one calorie is the same as another, no matter where
they came from. Eat too many calories (whether from fat, carbohydrates, or protein), and you'll
gain weight.
Aside from weight loss, the popularity of low-fat food has broader implications for health. Many
people are increasing the amount of carbohydrates in their diets, particularly in the form of
sugars, and as we know from the discussion of the glycemic index, doing so may lead to increases
in heart disease and diabetes.
For example, in a study of 80,000 nurses, Harvard researchers calculated that replacing a given
number of calories from polyunsaturated fat with an equivalent number from carbohydrates
increased the risk for heart disease by over 50 percent. And other studies have found that a low-
fat, high- carbohydrate diet, particularly one high in sugars, can worsen blood cholesterol and
triglycerides levels, both of which are risk factors for heart disease.
"Eat a low-fat diet," long the mantra of health and diet experts, has lost many adherents in
recent years. Current research suggests that rather than focus on total fat intake, a healthier
strategy is, first, to replace the "bad" fats (saturated and trans fats) with "good" fats
(polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats) and, second, to eat more whole grains high in dietary
fiber. For weight loss, the best approach is to square the amount of food you eat with the
number of calories you burn in a day. One of the best ways to lose weight or maintain a healthy
weight is to exercise regularly."
