Dietary Guidelines Archives

The Ghost in the Guidelines: How the Fat Debate Shaped the Story of Heart Disease

Just days ago, something remarkable happened.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary stood at a podium and said what would’ve once been unthinkable.
That dogma still lives large,” he declared, referring to America’s decades-long war on saturated fat. “You see remnants of it in the food guidelines that we are now revising.”
It wasn’t just a revision. It was a rebuke.
Makary didn’t mince words. He called the foundational science behind decades of dietary advice—especially…

Exploring the “Lore of Nutrition”

For the last few days, my Kindle has been my closest companion. “What are you reading”? my wife asked. “I’m reading Lore of Nutrition.” “Ooh, I was sure it was a thriller or one of your crime stories.” In fact, she was right. Although Lore of Nutrition is a book about nutrition, it reads like … Read more

The Fate of the PURE Study – Fat and Carbohydrate Intake Revisited

Most experts agree that diet is an important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and many other chronic noncommunicable disorders. Hence, defining and implementing a healthy diet is a matter of great public health interest. However, although there is substantial agreement on many issues, such as the importance of fruits and vegetables, several matters are still … Read more

Carbs, Fats and Heart Disease – Time For a Reappraisal Following the PURE Study

Recently many of us were provided an opportunity to watch a highly interesting video on the internet covering a talk given by Dr. Salim Yusuf at a recent Cardiology Update meeting. Dr. Yusuf is the Marion W. Burke Chair in Cardiovascular Disease at McMaster University Medical School in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and current President of … Read more

High Carbohydrate Intake Worse than High Fat for Blood Lipids

Data presented at the World Heart Federation’s World Congress of Cardiology & Cardiovascular Health 2016 (WCC 2016) in Mexico City may radically change our perspective on how carbohydrates and different types of fats affect blood cholesterol and other lipid biomarkers. The presentation was based on data from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiological (PURE) study. The data have not been … Read more