Frequently Asked Questions
April 2006
Q: Recently a news report said that lowering the fat in women’s diets didn’t reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers. Does this mean I can go back to eating all the fat I like?
A: If you are confused or skeptical of nutrition and health research these days, you are not alone. One day, you hear a certain food or nutrient is absolutely necessary for a healthy heart or to prevent cancer. Soon afterwards, you read that vitamin, mineral or food isn’t helpful and may increase your risk of some other disease!
Americans are bombarded with health news. Nearly every newspaper and newscast has a daily story about the latest research study on weight gain or loss, good and bad foods, supplements or exercise. But there is no way to communicate a thorough understanding of a research study in a short column or a 60-second television segment. News reports only skim the surface, usually making an implication that something is either good or bad for you.
The recent report about the benefits of low-fat diets for women is a perfect example. A low-fat diet has been the foundation of a heart-healthy lifestyle for decades; the news reports about this study made it sound like fat doesn't matter any more. Unfortunately the inference was "eat all the high fat foods you want," and it won't affect the risk of heart disease or cancer. Investigation of any topic is a work in progress and one study is a just a piece of a larger research puzzle. The many-sided, evolving nature of research is hard to show.
Here are a few pieces of key information from this most recent report:
- The women studied were ages 50 to 79. That means they'd spent decades eating a typical American diet before half of them tried - for eight years - to cut down on fat. This research tells us that to reverse the damage done from lifelong food habits could take longer than eight years.
- The study let subjects eat any kind of fat - as long as they lowered their total fat consumption. The science of nutrition now knows that saturated fats and trans fats are more closely linked to heart disease risk.
- There's no solid evidence that the kind of fat consumed affects cancer development. But women who ate the most fat when the study began, and therefore reduced their fat intake by a higher percentage, showed greater reductions in cancer risk.
- There are no guarantees that any diet will prevent the onset of certain diseases. However studies have overwhelmingly shown that lifestyle and food choices can make a difference. Maintaining a healthy weight and keeping with a daily routine that includes regular physical activity, plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy is your best defense to ward off chronic diseases.
For more information, refer to the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published jointly every 5 years by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Guidelines provide authoritative advice for people two years and older about how good dietary habits can promote health and reduce risk for major chronic diseases. Find the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans at http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/brochure.htm.
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