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I know there are some people on this BB who are sure dietary fat is the cause of extra body fat and, therefore, needs to be reduced. For them I am pasting here a fragment of Dr. Byrnes' newsletter (www.powerhealth.net):
"On the subject of obesity and diet comes this abstract of a paper by Dr. Willett of Harvard University. Published in the journal Obesity Review just a few months ago, the paper shows that it is not dietary fat that contributes to obesity. Once again, the finger points squarely at excessive carbohydrate intake as the villain. I’ve reprinted the whole abstract here and bolded the pertinent
parts for you.
Dietary fat plays a major role in obesity: no.
Obes Rev 2002 May;3(2):59-68
ABSTRACT:The percentage of dietary energy from fat has been suggested to be an important determinant of body fat, and this presumed effect has been invoked to justify the general promotion of low-fat diets. Dietary fat and the prevalence of obesity are lower in poor countries than in affluent countries. However, these contrasts are seriously confounded by differences in physical activity and food availability; within areas of similar economic development, per capita intake of fat and the prevalence of obesity have not been positively correlated.
Randomized trials are the preferable method for evaluating the effect of dietary fat on adiposity because they avoid problems of confounding that are difficult to control in other studies. In short-term trials, a small reduction in body weight is typically seen in individuals randomized to
diets with a lower percentage of calories from fat. In a meta-analysis of these trials, it was estimated that a decrease in 10% of energy from fat would reduce weight by 16 g d-1, which would correspond to a 9-kg weight loss by 18 months.
However, compensatory mechanisms appear to operate because in trials lasting one year or longer, fat consumption within the range of 18-40% of energy has consistently had little, if any, effect on body fatness. Moreover, within the United States (US), a substantial decline in the percentage of energy from fat during the last two decades has corresponded with a massive increase in obesity, and similar trends are occurring in other affluent countries.
Diets high in fat do not account for the high prevalence of excess body fat in Western countries; reductions in the percentage of energy from fat will have no important benefits and could further exacerbate this problem. The emphasis on total fat reduction has been a serious distraction in efforts to control obesity and improve health in general."
In Reply to: Dietary Fat Does Not Cause Obesity posted by R. on August 16, 2002 at 11:25:36:
Thanks R,
Once again, more evidence showing dietary fat is not the villin we make it out to be. I have personally been on a high-fat diet for a number of years now with only health gains. For the 2 years that I was a vegetarian, I only became sicker and weaker. Increasing protein helped some, but it wasn't until I upped my fat intake (lots of raw fats as well) that my health increased dramatically. I hope people begin to take this seriously as I believe most people will benefit from increasing the fat in their diets and lowering their carbohydrates. Thanks again!
-HY
In Reply to: Dietary Fat Does Not Cause Obesity posted by R. on August 16, 2002 at 11:25:36:
This is another good evidence that things of an extreme nature won't help our health. Theories such as no/low-fat diet, no-carbo diet, all-protein diet, all raw food diet, all fruit diet etc never work in the long run. The key to health is balance. We as carnivors need some of every food group to fare well, as long as they all in BALANCE. Of course, how to find the right personal is up to us each individual--it's no easy job: it's a life-long learning experience).
I'd also like to point out that before accepting this new finding and spread the word, we need to ask ourselves this question: What kind of fat we are talking about here? The difference between the good fat (EFA from fresh nuts/seeds/grains/fish/eggs/meats...) and the bad fat (trans-fatty acid from refined oils/margarine/shortening/unhealthy feed-lot animals/deep-fried any food from fast food joints...) is as big as life and death. While the former group heals, the latter one kills.
The third thing I want to mention is: when the total calories one ingest is more than the calories one burn, there is always a weight gain. Fat contains almost twice the calories than carbo and protein per gram, so if we blindly take in the same amount of other things with more fat than before, and if we have no extra physical output, we will certainly gain weight. There is no doubt about that.
This article abstrace reminds me of the report on sleep which was published a couple of months age that says people who sleep less than 8 hours a day actually live longer. I don't doubt the findings, but I do think many people got the wrong impression from that article that sleeping less is good for your health, and sleeping/resting more is bad--an idea which completely untrue.
I wish people who read scientific findings can grasp the while, complex picture instead of just skimming the surface and blindly jump onto whatever band wagon that is passing by.
Also, I wish the informed consumers can benefit from this article, but meanwhile, I also worry that a big portion of the general public don't stop and ask questions before they start to indulge into a big mac super meal with extra fries.
In Reply to: Re: Dietary Fat Does Not Cause Obesity posted by bing on August 16, 2002 at 16:17:49:
I'd like to commend you. That is the first post I have read, on any board, where a layperson has correctly listed the good and the bad fats ACCURATELY. It's suprising how many people come close to the correct answer and then mistakenly put healthy animal fats in the bad category.
I would like to comment on just one point you made. You said that blindly increasing fat while taking in the ,same amount of calories from protein and carbs will cause weight gain. You are absolutely correct. However, and this is just to clarify for any person that wishes to increase fat in their diet,......for most people, increasing fat intake will result in LESS protein and carbs being ingested. See, fats make us feel fuller for a longer amount of time. So, if fats are taken in as part of a meal, we get full quicker and we don't eat as often. So, in that way, we can actually maintain a neutral calorie imput-output on a higher fat diet. Studies of many different types of diets show that despite increases/decreases in certain macronutrients, most people continue to consume around the same amount of calories regardless. It's also interesting to notet the amount of fat used in the study was 18-40% of calories. Even as high as 40% had no correlation with obesity. I wonder what would have happened if fat approached 50% and even up to 80% of calories. Not that I necessarily think most people would or should do that, I just bet that no negative consequences would be seen, even that high. Many cultures today that have the highest longevity in the world also tend to eat higher fat diets. You also point out that physical activity has decreased contributing to the problem. I agree 100%. Many people would probably get away with more of their dietary pitfalls if they just exercised more. Personally, my diet contains about 50% fat and I feel fantastic. I'm glad to finally see that the studies are catching up to tradition! Take Care.
-HY
In Reply to: For Bing posted by Helping You on August 16, 2002 at 17:58:37:
Thanks for the compliments, HY.
Yes, the relatively high persentage of the RIGHT fat in the RIGHT diet doesn't cause weight gain,since fatty foods do make one feel more satiated. In fact, I think if we have the RIGHT food stuff around, it doesn't really matter how much of which food we eat everyday--that is, we don't need to consciously and painstakingly weigh, measure, and calculate how much of each food we should eat, because our consistently healthy diet has nurished our body so well that our body already know what to eat, almost to the point that no matter what we eat, there's no health problem ( privided we choose from the right food stuff). In a sence, once a person gets to this stage, the body is able to automatically choose the right thing to eat and never worry about weight and ill-health. This of course is the ideal state of health, but I doubt that one in a thousand people have reached to this level of harmony of the body-mind here in this country.
So, how many people are eating the right diet remains a disturbing fact. With what's popular on the nation's menu, with the powerful advertisement, and huge profit from food processing, and the lack of knowledge about food and health, most people DON'T have the real healthy foods in their frige and pantry. As a result, the body gets confused with the stuff we chow down, and lose (or never gained) the ability to tell us whether we are really hungry,or whether we are full. So people eat even when they are not hungry. I've seen people who just finished a hugh dinner and then sit down in front of the TV and start munching on potato chips (and finish the whole bag before the show is over, then top it off with a bowl of ice cream before going to bed). Because the body is so under-nurished that it constantly demands more nutrients which don't exist in sufficient ammounts in that diet. And this example IS the norm rather that exception, unfortunately. So, in this case, an article from the medical/scientific experts saying that fat doesn't cause obsety would only make things worse. This is the caution or worry I think consumer need to have when reading new discoveries about food and health.
BTW, it's been a little over a week since I started visiting this BB, and I've noticed the supportive helping hands you offer to people. Thank you!
Best,
bing
In Reply to: Dietary Fat Does Not Cause Obesity posted by R. on August 16, 2002 at 11:25:36:
Thanks, R.
Listen to bing!
These outlandish theories are all published for the express purpose of making a point to enhance the individual's stature NOT for telling the truth. None of them are totally true but each of them have pieces of truth in them so, in a way, they are all true.
All these authors know this but the name of the game is still "publish or perish".
Namaste`
Walt
In Reply to: Dietary Fat Does Not Cause Obesity posted by R. on August 16, 2002 at 11:25:36:
I was eating all kinds of saturated fats and my weight would not go over 150. Recently I started eating bread and other whole grains and gained 10 pounds in 2 weeks.
JDR
In Reply to: Re: Dietary Fat Does Not Cause Obesity posted by bing on August 16, 2002 at 16:17:49:
This makes very good sense. I've been on a few of the exotic restrictive diets and had imbalances because of them.
I'm now trying to balance my body pH and they tell me breads, grains, etc., need to be included in the diet to balance pH.
Like you said - everything in balance, and like they say "everything in moderation." They've got me eating sandwiches again. Poor food combining but I don't think my body is complaining.
People on grain free diets sometimes eat animal proteins and more vegetables and fruits to get the fiber they need which is too alkalizing and seems to make it difficult to balance pH. At least it did for me. I guess if the vegs were mostly greens it may make a difference I don't know but I need some help with metabolic balancing.
My health improved when I stopped all added dietary fats except coconut oil and butter. I've been taking 3 tbs. of coconut oil daily for 6 weeks now.
JDR
In Reply to: Re: Dietary Fat Does Not Cause Obesity (Archive in diet.) posted by Walt Stoll on August 17, 2002 at 08:12:34:
I am enjoying the recent "food fights" and however much people's egos are involved (and Steven Byrnes has a big one) it helps advance knowledge bit by bit. This way, we get closer to WHICH piece of the truth we are talking about AND, logically speaking if we identify which part of it is truth, then we can know which part of it is falsehood and we get to throw that away! (Like blanket statements like any & all dietary fat = always bad)
In Reply to: Re: For Bing posted by bing on August 16, 2002 at 19:02:10:
I agree with you 100%. Walt also made an intersting statement that nobody can really argue with. He completely supported your take on the issue. Thanks for the compliments towards the end of your post. I try to do my best when I can. Take Care
-HY
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