Depending on the source,
low-fat diets are not any more relevant than a low-carbohydrate
diet. A study from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), showed
that a low-fat diet did not offer any substantial health benefits
in the defending the body against breast cancer colorectal cancer,
or heart disease, after menopause.
However, a closer evaluation of the
clinical trials showed that the reduction to elimination of
certain types of fat does have benefits. Published in the February
8, 2006, issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association,
the study involved 48,835 participants. Prior to the study,
the vast majority of subjects were eating an average of 38 percent
of their daily caloric daily intake from fat.
The researchers assigned one group
to eat natural foods (fruits, grains, and vegetables) and to
reduce daily caloric intake. The other 60 percent maintained
their normal high fat intake consumption habits. The participants
of the study were monitored for eight years. The final conclusions
of the clinical trial did not show a significant difference
between the two groups.
On the contrary, the group, whose consumption
was limited to a low-fat diet, faired quite well. Although,
they women followed a diet high in carbohydrates, this group
did not gain weight. More importantly, they had a decreased
risk of diabetes.
Although researchers did not find conclusive
results pertaining to the purpose of their study, reduce the
risk of breast, colorectal and the diet’s effect on heart health.
The validity of the study’s findings is deemed controversial
because the evaluation did not distinguish the difference in
fat types.
In lieu of the countering data, medical
experts are prescribing that patients reduce trans fat and saturated
fat intakes because it can raise LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels
and trigger the risk of heart disease.
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