There are some interesting letters to the editor regarding Ornish's diatribe, apparently, many see him for who he really is, nut just low-carbers

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The Myth of the Low-Fat Diet

To the Editor:

Dean Ornish's studies ("A Diet Rich in Partial Truths," Op-Ed, July 13), while demonstrating the importance of lifestyle, do not prove that low-fat diets reduce obesity or risk for any other disease. Health improvements on the Ornish plan may have been caused by a variety of factors unrelated to total dietary fat.

The "gold standard" for scientific truth in medicine is the randomized-controlled trial. According to a recent analysis of such trials by the Cochrane Review, subjects treated with low-fat diets tended to lose less weight than those on higher-fat diets.

Most probably, humans can do quite well on diets varying widely in the ratio of fat to carbohydrate, so long as adequate attention is given to the quality of foods consumed.

A primary emphasis on reducing dietary fat may have actually contributed to the dramatic increase in rates of obesity, diabetes and certain heart disease risk factors observed over the last two decades in the United States.
DAVID S. LUDWIG, M.D.
Boston, July 13, 2002
The writer is director of the obesity program, Children's Hospital, and an assistant professor of pediatrics, Harvard Medical School.

To the Editor:

Dean Ornish (Op-Ed, July 13) should own up to the influential role that he has played in getting the American diet out of whack. His classic book, "Eat More, Weigh Less," puts no limits on the amount of carbohydrates one can eat as long as fat is avoided.

On his diet I gained 30 pounds, and my triglycerides shot up to 300.
D. J. DOOLING
Fair Haven, N.J., July 13, 2002

To the Editor:

In delivering the truth about simple and complex carbohydrates, Dean Ornish omitted some facts about protein diets ("A Diet Rich in Partial Truths," Op-Ed, July 13). The most famous protein diet, the Atkins diet, has never recommended protein only.
MARIA LITTLE
Seattle, July 13, 2002

To the Editor:

Government recommendations and research on diet and nutrition are important, but not the sources from which to expect a cure for America's obesity epidemic ("Challenging the Accepted Wisdom," editorial, July 14).

A combination of dietary common sense and some self-discipline will reverse the trend. In most cases, moderate portions of a balanced diet, combined with daily exercise, is a simple, straightforward approach to maintaining a healthy weight.

The challenge is to integrate this approach into a daily living routine that factors in family and work responsibilities.

We don't need more reports or research to know that frequent trips to the fast-food restaurant and a sedentary lifestyle, however busy we are, will contribute to excessive weight gain.
DAVID MURPHY
New York, July 15, 2002

To the Editor:

Saying the federal government has not tackled the obesity epidemic "with the vigor applied to other scourges like smoking" is an understatement (editorial, July 14).

If the government seriously wanted to fight obesity, it would take these steps:

Increase financing for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to $60 million to strengthen national programs and double the number of states financed for nutrition, physical activity and obesity programs.

Promote physical activity to children by restoring financing for C.D.C.'s Youth Media Campaign, which the president plans to terminate in 2003.

Require chain restaurants to list calories along with prices on their menus; that would encourage downsizing instead of supersizing.

Ban junk-food ads on children's TV, and remove junk foods from schools.

Given obesity rates in adults and kids, we cannot afford to postpone action.
MARGO G. WOOTAN
Dir. of Nutrition Policy, Center
for Science in the Public Interest
Washington, July 15, 2002

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/17/opinion/L17DIET.html