Study: Low-Fat Diet Doesn't Lower Risk of Cancer or Heart Attacks

Atkins was right?

I remember when I first heard of the Atkins diet thing. It was about three years ago. At my girlfriend's parents' house was a NYT Sunday Magazine with a cover showing bacon and eggs and the headline, What If It's All Been Just A Big Fat Lie?

The article detailed the Atkins theory of weight gain (and weight loss), and questioned whether it was high-fat diets causing heart problems. What if it were actually high-carb diets causing not only obesity but related ailments, like high blood pressure or heart disease?

The article noted some renewed interest in the once-dismissed Atkins' claims, but this new study seems to confirm that earlier interest:

The largest study ever to ask whether a low-fat diet keeps women from getting cancer or heart disease has found that the diet had no effect.

The $415 million federal study involved nearly 49,000 women aged 50 to 79 who were followed for eight years. In the end, those assigned to a low-fat diet had the same rates of breast cancer, colon cancer heart attack and stroke as those who ate whatever they pleased, researchers are reporting today.

"These are three totally negative studies," said Dr. David Freedman, a statistician at the University of California at Berkeley, who is not connected with the study but has written books on clinical trial design and analysis. And, he said, the results should be taken seriously for what they are — a rigorous attempt that failed to confirm a popular hypothesis that a low-fat diet can prevent three major diseases in women.

And the studies were so large and so expensive that they are "the Rolls Royce of studies," said Dr. Michael Thun, who directs epidemiological research for the American Cancer Society. As such, he said, they are likely to be the final word.

"We usually have only one shot at a very large scale trial on a particular issue," Dr. Thun said.

Not to be all Endorsee McEndorserson, but I'll let you in on a little secret. About four years ago I gave up smoking. And began a new hobby-- binge eating, and sucking down two or three liters of Coke (with sugar!) a day. I gained a lot of weight. A lot. I had already gained a lot of weight during that bad post-twenties-metabolic-slowdown-plus-no-exercise thing, but after I quit smoking, I porked up.

Big time.

Had been a 34 waist. Had gone up to a 36 or 38. At my peak weight, I was astonished and embarrassed to find I was now looking for 40's and 42's.

I had ballooned up to 232 pounds.

Long story short, I went on Atkins. Cut out the carbs. And lost 70 pounds in about six months. Back down to a 34 waist, and tempted to try to squeeze into 32's, not because they fit, but just to have that "32" on the back.

A little of that's back now-- I'm eating more carbs than I should -- but basically I'm at post-college weight, and I think I can get down below college weight with one more big low-carb push... this time with actual exercise.

Pretty cool to lose 70 pounds with no exercise and only minor dietary sacrifice.

Just sayin'. It worked for me.

I do miss donuts, though.

Headline Corrected: The article speaks of "heart attacks," not "heart disease," as I wrote.

Thanks to Feisty, the Republican Whore with the heart of gold. And crystal meth.

Thanks... to Bob for locating that NYT Magazine article I mentioned.

posted by Ace at 09:40 PM

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