8-Year Study Exposes The Low-Fat Lie
AMA President Eckel warns don't "misinterpret" low-fat study results
THIS IS AN HISTORIC DAY THAT YOU'LL WANT TO REMEMBER!
Mark down February 7, 2006 in the annals of history regarding health, diet, and nutrition because the uncovering of a three-decade long ruse begins today as we watch it unravel right before our eyes and it will change all conventional wisdom regarding what we consider healthy living forever.
This Washington Post story about the published results of an EIGHT-YEAR study on the low-fat diet shows that there was ZERO health improvements in the risk of getting cancer and heart disease.
For those of you playing along at home, yes, this is the SAME low-fat diet recommendation that we have heard from our doctors, government, and health "experts" since the early 1970's that they have so highly touted as the wave of the future for people to follow to ensure they live a long, healthy life relatively free from the diseases that "other" nutritional approaches offer. Guess what? That was ONE BIG FAT LIE!
The eight-year study of 48,835 women published in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the study participants failed to lose a measurable amount of weight on the low-fat diet. In fact, most of them even remained overweight which put them at an even greater risk for cardiovascular disease despite following their low-fat regimen.
This is the second major blow to the low-fat diet to come out in 2006 and the news just keeps getting worse as research reveals what so many of us have known for a long time -- the low-fat diet is a failure.
While advocates of restricting fat for weight control, disease prevention, and good overall health have long gotten a free pass by much of the media, health officials and physicians in the U.S. and around the world, studies like these cannot be ignored and the ramifications of dismissing them rather than making changes in the way we think about health and diet could be devastating. It is clear to everyone who has eyes to see that we must look at other nutritional approaches and stop monopolizing the public health message with an exclusive low-fat bent!
The study, which incidently cost American taxpayers $415 million to conduct since 1998 (and worth every penny!), found there was NO difference in the rate of breast cancer, colon cancer and heart disease among those eating a low-fat diet and those who did not.
Low-fat supporters are quickly defending these stunning results as not surprising because the study supposedly failed to look at the difference between eating good fats and bad fats. Huh? Um, I think you just got caught with your pants down and you are just too embarassed to realize that everyone can see who you really are now, low-fatties!
Additionally, they claim that the low-fat dieters who participated in the research must not have cut their fat consumption enough to make a real difference in the disease rates. PUH-LEEZ! If the researchers wanted to control the amount of fat these women consumed to a specified level so they could make valid observations, then all they had to do was make that a part of the study. Now that the results have gone completely against what the researchers had expected, they want to cry wolf and kick and scream that the study participants screwed up their grand scheme. Riiiiiiiggggggght!
It's time to face reality and low-fat advocates are in for a rude awakening! YOU WERE WRONG -- DEAD WRONG! Admit it! The LIES that you and all your cohorts in the media, government, and upper echelons of health have NOT been in the best interest of public health. It's okay to tell people you were misled and thought you were sharing information that would help them be as healthy as possible.
But now that the truth has come out in a LONG-TERM study, don't you think it's time to set the record straight and open the door to new opportunities to educate the public about a wide variety of dietary plans that can and will help them lose weight, improve their health, and live a much longer and fulfilling life? The lid that you've been keeping on the low-fat diet for over three decades has now been literally blown completely off to expose the low-fat lie for what it really is. And people want to know and be told the truth about what constitutes healthy living. The time for that to happen is NOW!
The researchers admit that certain good fats like those found in olive oil and nuts are a healthy part of a preventative program against heart disease. Guess what? Those are both EXCELLENT healthy foods to consume when you are livin' la vida low-carb!
It really shouldn't surprise anyone that American Heart Association President Dr. Robert Eckel would make the statement that these study results will be misunderstood if they are not interpreted correctly.
"It would be easy to misinterpret the results of this study," he said.
Uh, what's to "misinterpret," Dr. Eckel? The cherished low-fat diet that you and others in your position have been ramming down our throats as the ONLY way to get healthy, lose weight, and prevent disease has been exposed as a fraud. If the low-fat diet were a government official, there would be an uproar so loud to have him removed from office and thrown in prison for life like the world has never seen before! IMPEACH HIM NOW, they'd say!
The public health has been violated by this low-fat diet scandal and the American people deserve an explanation from our government and health leaders why a more thorough examination of all the potential ramifications to our health weren't studied sooner before such glowing recommendations were so freely distributed to the an unsuspecting public.
Should we now question anything and everything we hear as an official position regarding health from our government and health leaders? Can we ever trust and believe in ANYTHING they tell us from now on? These are serious issues we are dealing with here and it seems those in positions of power have lackadaisically played around with our health to protect their own vested interests.
No longer can we view the low-fat diet as the "healthy" nutritional approach we have always thought it to be and any such characterizations of it being described in that manner should cease immediately in light of this study.
If you are as outraged by what this study has concluded as I am, then make your voice heard loud and clear:
- American Heart Association
- National Institutes of Health
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- Your family doctor
- Your local newspaper
posted by Jimmy Moore at
2/07/2006 08:45:00 PM
1 Comments:
As famous researcher Colpo wrote: The problems are in the industry lobbying versus public health.
Surprisingly few people are aware that the main function of the United States Department of Agriculture is not to boost the health of Americans, but to further the commercial interests of US agriculture. This might help explain the Department's abominable food pyramid, which places cereal grain products ahead of all other food groups, including far more nutrient-dense staples like meats, fruits, nuts, and vegetables.
Late 2003 it was reported that hundreds of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the government's leading medical research bureau, were (and still are, according to more recent reports) receiving 'consultation fees' from companies whose products were being researched by the Institute!
It's not just governmental agencies that prefer 'Crony Capitalism' to the laissez-faire brand that the Founding Fathers had in mind; private health agencies also appear to be quite fond of dipping into the very deep pockets of vested financial interests.
A recent report reveals that:
-The American Dietetic Association, which has never met a low-fat processed food it didn't like, is the official association for America's dietitians. It has received financial contributions from, among others, the National Soft Drink Association, ConAgra, Grocery Manufacturers of America, Monsanto, Proctor and Gamble, Potato Board, National Pasta Association, American Soy Products, National Dairy Council, and the National Cattleman's Beef Association.
The ADA issues 'fact sheets' that provide information on various nutrition and health topics. Most of these are underwritten by companies whose products are discussed in the fact sheets. Manufacturers that have given at least $100,000 towards the production of these sheets include Coca-Cola, Kellogg, Kraft Foods, Weight Watchers International, Campbell Soup, National Dairy Council, Nestle USA, General Mills, Monsanto, Nabisco, Procter and Gamble, Ross Products, Wyeth-Ayerst Labs, and Uncle Ben's.
-The American Heart Association operates a food endorsement program in which the Association's 'heart check' label is awarded to foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol. In order to receive the AHA's heart-check, manufacturers must pay the AHA $7,500 per product for 1-9 products, $6,750 for 10-24 products, and $5,940 for 25-99 products in the initial year. The cost for subsequent years is $4,500, $4,050, and $3,570, respectively. With over 630 products certified, it is estimated that the AHA earned over $2 million from its certification program in 2002.
Among the 'wholesome' foods that the AHA has deemed worthy of its heart-check are:
· General Mills Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp, Corn Chex, and Count Chocula;
· Healthy Choice Low Fat Ice Creams,
· Chocolate Moose Milk Chocolate Drinks;
· Malt-O-Meal Frosted Mini Spooners, Honey Graham Squares, and Honey Nut Toasty O's;
· Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Big Bite;
· Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Cereal Bars;
· Pop-Secret 94% Fat Free Butter Microwave Premium Popcorn.
Pharmaceutical giant Merck, which manufactures the cholesterol-lowering drugs Mevacor and Zocor, is spending $400,000 to finance an AHA program inculcating 40,000 doctors with treatment cholesterol guidelines (these guidelines, by the way, are written by researchers with financial ties to cholesterol-lowering drug manufacturers like Merck(3)). Other lipid-lowering drug manufacturers that contribute to the AHA include Pfizer, Astra-Zeneca, and Bristol-Myers-Squibb.
- The American Diabetes Association is America's premiere diabetic organization which, for some bizarre reason, insists that the country's carbohydrate-intolerant diabetics should eat more carbohydrates. Drug companies and manufacturers of fat-free carbohydrate-rich foods are among the companies that stand to benefit from the ADA's regrettable advice and, lo and behold, can also be found on its sponsor sheet.
Among the companies that donated between $100,000-750,000 to the ADA in 2002 are (partial list):
($750,000)
Abbott Laboratories
Aventis Pharmaceuticals
BD Consumer Healthcare
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
Eli Lilly and Company
GlaxoSmithKline
Merck & Co., Inc.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals
Pfizer Inc
Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc.
($500,000+)
Bayer Corporation
Kraft Foods
Roche Diagnostics Corporation
(250,000+)
Abbott Laboratories, Ross Product Division (Glucerna)
AstraZeneca
Merisant U.S., Inc. (Equal Sweetener)
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
($100,000+)
Archway Cookies, LLC
Coolbrands International, Inc. (Eskimo Pie)
CVS/pharmacy
General Mills, Inc. (Fiber One)
Good Neighbor Pharmacy
KOS Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Murray Sugar Free Cookies
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.
Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Rite Aid Pharmacy
Roche Pharmaceuticals
Schering Plough Healthcare Products, Inc.
Specialty Brands of America (Cary's Sugar Free Cookies)
The Procter & Gamble Company
Voortman Cookies Limited
-The list of financial contributors to the American Psychiatric Association includes AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, Pfizer, Inc., Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Abbott Laboratories, Forest Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Alza Pharmaceuticals, and Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories.
-The Washington DC-based Society for Nutrition Education says it is "dedicated to promoting healthy, sustainable food choices and has a vision of healthy people in healthy communities." Its sponsors include the National Soft Drink Association, National Food Processors Association, Monsanto, Proctor and Gamble, Nestle, California Dairy Council, and Dairy Council of Wisconsin.
-Among the Canadian Food Information Council's members are Coca-Cola Ltd., General Mills Canada, Inc., H. J. Heinz Company of Canada Ltd., Kellogg Canada Inc., Kraft Canada Inc., Monsanto Canada, Nestlé Canada Inc., Parmalat Canada Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Syngenta Seeds Canada, Inc., Quaker Tropicana Gatorade - Canada, and Unilever Canada Limited.
CFIC patrons are Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, Refreshments Canada, and CropLife Canada.
-The International Life Sciences Institute was founded in 1978 "to work toward a safer, healthier world. ILSI is a worldwide foundation that is making a difference in public health by advancing the understanding of scientific issues related to nutrition, food safety, toxicology, and the environment."
ILSI has received funding from the alcoholic beverage industry, and it's 1996 N.Y. Academy of Science conference on fat substitutes was funded in part by Olestra manufacturer Procter & Gamble.
ILSI's 1998 Board of Trustees included representatives from Kraft Foods, Inc., Kellogg Company, Nestle Ltd., Switzerland, Monsanto Company, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo, Inc.
Members of ILSI North America include:
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Burger King
Campbell Soup Company
Cargill,
Coca-Cola
Corn Products International, Inc.
General Mills, Inc.
H.J. Heinz
Hershey Foods Corporation
Kellogg Company
Kraft Foods, Inc.
Mead Johnson Nutritionals
Monsanto
National Starch and Chemical Company,
Nestlé USA,
The NutraSweet Company,
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.,
The Pepsi-Cola Company,
Pfizer, Proctor & Gamble,
Red Bull, Ross Products,
Taco Bell,
Unilever,
Wyeth Nutritionals,
-In March of 2003, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry received a $1 million grant from the Coca-Cola Foundation.
The Lift the Veil report was put together by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). While it has certainly done an admirable job of compiling the financial connections of many of our most prestigious and supposedly unbiased health organizations, the CSPI itself is not exactly guilt-free when it comes to handing out shonky nutrition advice.
In the late eighties, the CSPI joined the soybean industry and billionaire Phil Sokoloff in launching all-out war on tropical oils. These oils have never been linked to any health problem in humans--in fact, research tentatively suggests that the medium-chain fatty acids contained in these oils may help protect against pathogenic microbes, heart disease, and, when consumed as part of a ketogenic diet, cancer. Researchers have documented the outstanding health of tropical populations consuming high amounts of fat-rich coconut products.
More recently, the CSPI has been protesting the inclusion of high-fat milk products on school menus, claiming that their saturated fat content "clogs kids' arteries."
Milk fat has never been shown to clog kids' -nor adults' - arteries. To the contrary, a recent review of prospective epidemiological studies examining milk consumption suggests that high-fat milk may offer modest protection against heart disease and stroke.
Individuals with a preponderence of small, dense LDL partcles are known to be at higher risk of heart disease than those with large LDL particles. A Swedish study appearing in the latest Journal of Nutrition reports that, in men aged 62-64, milk-derived fatty acids were associated with a blood lipid profile characterized by significantly less small, dense LDL.
CSPI co-founder and current executive director Michael Jacobson, is a vegetarian who reportedly sits on the advisory board of the "Great American Meatout," an annual event operated by the vegan and animal rights group Farm Animal Reform Movement (FARM).
Not so surprisingly, perhaps, is the fact that the CSPI did not include itself in the report...
If we want to blow the lid off completely, the time is NOW. We need to DEMAND from the media that they expose this nutritional Watergate completely - for once and for all.
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