| The more I read from some of the best | | | | findings of their own. |
| researchers and doctors around the world who | | | | The National Cancer Institute and the NAS |
| dare to look at health and wellness from outside | | | | decided to make funding available to test the |
| of the current medical model, the more frustrated | | | | hypothesis. (Hypothesis is loosely used as the |
| I get. One cause for concern is the conventional | | | | dietary fat/cancer link was being reported as |
| wisdom that a low fat diet is a panacea for all | | | | fact) |
| that ails us. | | | | Walter Willet, a Harvard epidemiologist, was called |
| In Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes, | | | | upon. He led the Nurses Health Study which began |
| which one reviewer said is "Easily the most | | | | tracking diet, lifestyle and disease in 89,000 nurses |
| important book on diet and health to be published | | | | in 1982. The bottom line? After 4 years the |
| in the past one hundred years." Barbara | | | | nurses who reported the lowest fat intake had |
| Ehrenreich, author of Bright Sided and Nickel and | | | | the highest rate of breast cancer! |
| Dimed said, "Taubes tackles the subject with the | | | | The National Cancer Institute reviewed the study |
| seriousness and scientific insight it deserves, | | | | and said it was a good study but not the only one |
| building a devastating case against the low-fat, | | | | and continued to recommend a low fat diet. 8 |
| high-carb way of life endorsed by so many | | | | months later reports Taubes, NCI researchers |
| nutrition experts in recent years." | | | | themselves published a study albeit from a smaller |
| Look, I live by the idea that we are all biochemical | | | | group suggesting "that eating more fat and more |
| individuals and there is no one prescription for | | | | saturated fat correlated with less breast cancer." |
| eating that works across the board. But based on | | | | After 14 years of observation by Harvard, the |
| hours of research it is becoming more clear that | | | | research still pointed to lower fat diets resulting in |
| loading our plates with grains-whole or | | | | higher breast cancer rates. "The data still |
| otherwise-while at the same time lowering fat to | | | | suggested" writes Taubes, "that eating fatty |
| torturous levels is having a deleterious effect on | | | | foods, (even those with copious saturated fat) |
| our health-and our waist line. | | | | might protect against cancer. For every 5% of |
| The seed for this low fat is good idea was | | | | saturated fat calories that replaced carbohydrates |
| planted in 1976 at the "Diet and Killer Disease" | | | | in the diet, the risk of breast cancer decreased |
| hearings. By 1982 the proposition that dietary fat | | | | by 9%." |
| caused cancer was considered so likely true that | | | | So what do we do with this information? Sweep |
| a government report encouraged Americans to | | | | it under the rug so we can continue as we are |
| lower fat consumption to 30% or less. In 1984 | | | | with thousands of women getting breast cancer |
| the American Cancer Society jumped on the | | | | while feeling deprived, not enjoying the full |
| bandwagon and sealed the deal. Interesting though | | | | spectrum of flavors and nutrition in foods? I can't |
| are the many observations from around the | | | | do it. |
| world that refuted the findings with contrary | | | | |