Low-fat diet advice was based on undercooked science

That was the headline that bolted across the Media like lightning.  No surprise to anyone who has read the multitude of books and articles that have echoed this same concept.  Still – it was nice to know that there was an actual Study done that came to the same conclusion.

Conclusions Dietary recommendations were introduced for 220 million US and 56 million UK citizens by 1983, in the absence of supporting evidence from RCTs (randomized controlled trials).

This study was “A systematic review and meta-analysis were undertaken of RCTs, published prior to 1983, which examined the relationship between dietary fat, serum cholesterol and the development of CHD.“

The Media picked this up and ran with it.  Articles and Headlines shouted it loudly.  It only took a couple of days – if that – for the opposition to launch a Smear campaign.  This Article from Reuters is just one example.

“The claim that guidelines on dietary fat introduced in the 1970s and 80s were not based on good scientific evidence is misguided and potentially dangerous,” said Christine Williams, a professor of human nutrition at Britain’s Reading University.

And the battle rages on.

Post Script:  I came across this Quote in an article discussing the revision of Cholesterol Food recommendations that are due to come out.

“These reversals in the field do make us wonder and scratch our heads,” said David Allison, a public health professor at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. “But in science, change is normal and expected.”

When our view of the cosmos shifted from Ptolemy to Copernicus to Newton and Einstein, Allison said, “the reaction was not to say ‘Oh my gosh, ‘Something is wrong with physics!’ We say, ‘Oh my gosh, isn’t this cool?”

Allison said the problem in nutrition stems from the arrogance that sometimes accompanies dietary advice. A little humility could go a long way.

“Where nutrition has some trouble is all the confidence and vitriol and moralism that goes along with our recommendations.“