A DIET of “real food” containing plenty of natural fat could be the key to living a long and healthy life.
Scientists advise eating whole foods not low fat products
Families have been told for three decades to cut their risk of heart disease by avoiding fatty foods like meat, cheese and cream.
But now scientists say the advice followed flawed trials – none had involved female patients – and “should never have been introduced”.
There is no direct link between fat intake and death from heart disease, they say.
Writing in the British Medical Journal today, lead researcher Zoe Harcombe says: “If I were in charge of public health policy I would have three words (of advice), eat real food.”
Heart specialists now say eating foods with natural fat such as nuts and fish could actually protect against cardiovascular disease.
They say families should instead shun low-fat foods which are often packed with sugar and partly responsible for a spike in obesity rates.
Researchers say existing diet advice followed tests on a small sample of unhealthy men from decades ago, none of which involved women.
Responding to the British Medical Journal report, London-based consultant cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra said: “Current dietary guidelines are not helping the obesity problem and, to some degree, are contributing to it.
When the world was commanded to cut fat out, the food industry switched to ‘tasty’ sugar to bulk out its productsTam Fry
“I tell my own patients to eat whole foods and consume more fats from olive oil, nuts and fish, for which there is good evidence heart attack and stroke are reduced.
"My advice would be to avoid anything that is ‘low fat’, which is often loaded with sugar, and processed foods.”
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, added: “The real tragedy with fat was that when the world was commanded to cut it out, the food industry switched to ‘tasty’ sugar to bulk out its products. By doing so it truly fostered the roots of today’s obesity epidemic.”
The BMJ study was conducted by researchers from the University of the West of Scotland and American cardiovascular scientist Dr James DiNicolantonio.
They looked at trials between 1965 and 1978 which examined the effect of fat intake on heart health.
Researcher Zoe Harcombe said: “The original randomised controlled trials did not find any relationship between dietary fat intake and deaths from coronary heart disease. The present review concludes that dietary advice not merely needs review – it should not have been introduced.”
Guidelines on fat intake were introduced in the 1980s. They currently suggest limiting overall fat consumption to 30 per cent of energy intake, and saturated fat to 10 per cent.
Britain’s obesity rate in 1972 was 2.7 per cent but now it has rocketed to 25 per cent of adults.
Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, said: “This paper is not critical of current advice on saturated fats but suggests the advice was introduced prematurely in the 1980s.”
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