Why there are no health benefits to a low-fat diet
Last Updated Aug 2007
An article in last week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association
put to rest the claims that a low-fat diet decreases the risk of heart disease,
breast cancer, and colon cancer. How could this long-believed dietary philosophy
be so flawed? The reason that this type of diet fails is because it increases
inflammation.
A low-fat diet is by definition a high-carbohydrate diet. The more carbohydrates
you consume, the more insulin you make, a sure-fire way to increase inflammation.
As a result, any improvements in chronic disease reduction by reducing total fat
are offset by increasing inflammation at the same time.
An earlier January article in the Journal of the American Medical Association
indicates that although women following a low-fat diet lost two pounds over a seven-
year period, they also increased their waist circumference, which means that they
were actually increasing their fat levels by following a low-fat, high-carbohydrate
diet. It is the increased fat that causes inflammation.
The solution is a more balanced diet, like the Zone Diet, consisting of virtually
equal calories coming from low-fat protein, carbohydrates (primarily fruits and
vegetables), and non-inflammatory fat, such as olive oil. This is basically a
modified Mediterranean diet that gives superior anti-inflammatory results,
according to recent research from Harvard Medical School. Add adequate levels of
anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids from purified fish oil, and you finally have
a dietary equation that reduces inflammation, the precursor of chronic diseases,
such as heart disease and cancer.