The Diet-Heart Hypothesis: A Critique
 

This review has just been published in the American Journal of Cardiology.
The abstract is quoted verbatim below.

The Diet-Heart Hypothesis: A Critique
Sylvan Lee Weinberg, MD, MACC
Dayton, Ohio

The low-fat "diet heart hypothesis" has been controversial for nearly 100 years. The low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, promulgated vigorously by the National Cholesterol Education Program, National Institutes of Health, and American Heart Association since the Lipid Research Clinics-Primary Prevention Program in 1984, and earlier by the U.S. Department of Agriculture food pyramid, may well have played an unintended role in the current epidemics of obesity, lipid abnormalities, type II diabetes, and metabolic syndromes. This diet can no longer be defended by appeal to the authority of prestigious medical organizations or by rejecting clinical experience and a growing medical literature suggesting that the much-maligned low-carbohydrate, high-protein diet may have a salutary effect on the epidemics in question.
(J Am Coll Cardiol 2004;43:731-3) © 2004 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation

The full article is available here: http://www.lowcarbportal.com/docume...ebyWeinberg.pdf

(This good doctor was president of the College of Cardiology. He has been around since 1950 and had a great deal of influence.)

Credits: Barry Groves, PhD, for sending me the file, Dr Weinberg for allowing me to publish it.

Thank you, No Honey. I'm going to send this to my husband's cardiologist.

Minna

Excellent find, No Honey. Thanks.

This author still believes that high SC is indicative of potential CAD's....but isn't this hypothesis under dispute in certain quarters as well? I notice that there is no mention of either Enig nor Radnskov in the reference list..

Val

Yep, he still lives under sat fat fear, however, isn't it nice that even WITH those silly sat-fat/total chol fears, the whole highcarb diet is coming into attack from old experienced (even though still misguided) researchers/doctors?

Yes, well the high SC- CAD connection I think doesn't show up in longitudinal studies, and higher SC appears to be protective. I think there is a correlation going on, which appears to be stronger for men in a certain age group, and the beliefs have generated from that...it is possible that there is inflammation that leads to CAD's, and that this inflammation is what is causing the higher level of SC, and which is reduced by statin drugs (which also lower cholesterol...perhaps because it lowers inflammation??)

Anyone following all this who can comment?

Val

Val

I've gained the impression the "nail on the coffin" for the SC/CAD folks has been statin trials. Because statin trials gave less CAD deaths, and lowered SC, they thought it came from lowered SC.

Of course, statins work anti-inflammatorily also, and through other mechanisms too, and even the SC/CAD correlation in the statin trials is iffy at best if analyzed critically... but hey, doesn't stop the believers.

One of the BEST articles.
 

This is one of the very BEST articles that I've read in defense of LC and it's potential to improve blood lipid profiles.

I know that my husband and I fit the conclusions here very well.

I suspect we will see more articles like these.

I've printed this out for my binder. I ought to go through all the other really good articles I've read and finally get it all organized... someday. :D

I have sent a copy to my HI-carb low fat pushing Doctor.

Lez

Fantastic:yay:, and about time too! I shall be printing a copy for my critics....the ones who claim to know the science behind LC 'cos they have bought a couple of issues of women's weekly! :rolleyes: