SOCIAL STUDIES

A DAILY MISCELLANY OF INFORMATION BY MICHAEL KESTERTON

Thursday, January 29, 2004 - Page A20

link to full article

Excerpt:

Ancel Keys

Almost 50 years ago, Ancel Keys and his wife, Margaret, wrote a best-selling book called Eat Well and Stay Well. It promoted a low-fat Mediterranean diet featuring olive oil, lots of fruits and vegetables, chicken and fish and the occasional glass of wine, says The (Minneapolis) Star Tribune. Prof. Keys followed his diet for decades. This week, he turned 100 years old. Ever the skeptical scientist, Prof. Keys won't take credit for his longevity. "It can't help it," he said. "If you stay around long enough, it happens." Best known for his research into heart attacks and diet, he appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1961 and was dubbed "Mr. Cholesterol" by the popular press. Prof. Keys is disgusted with the current American diet: "It is bad and getting worse." The Atkins Diet, he says, is "rubbish" and many new diets seem to be based on "supposition and imagination."