Low Fat Diet

Two decades after the debate began on which diet is best for weight loss, a conclusion is starting to come into focus. And the winner is . . . not low-carb, not low-fat, not high protein but . . . any diet. That is, any diet that is low in calories and saturated fats and high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables -- and that an individual can stick with for a lifetime -- is a reasonable choice for people who need to lose weight.

Rejoice, obese people trying to slim down. You may be able to occasionally indulge in steaks and bacon and eggs cooked in butter and still not damage your arteries, according to a study's findings. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University randomly assigned 46 obese men and women age 30 to 65 and to one of two diet and exercise programs for six months. Participants in the low-carb group ate a diet consisting of no more than 30% of calories from carbs (pasta, bread and fruit), and 40% from fats (dairy, nuts and meats)

"I've ALWAYS had the propensity to pork up," says L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, 59, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes seven years ago. That was his wake-up call to take a cold, hard look at his diet and transform it. He went from a high of 215 pounds to his current 185. Yaroslavsky often can be seen running around the Fairfax District and Hancock Park, an activity that he sticks to religiously, along with a low-fat diet.

The prospect of going on a diet makes many people nervous. Once cravings for verboten foods set in, dieters may fall off the wagon. But a study finds that over time, restricting some foods may tamp down those cravings. The study centered on 270 men and women who were randomly assigned to a low-carbohydrate diet or a low-fat diet for two years. Those on the low-carb diet were told to limit carbohydrates and eat foods high in fat and protein. Those on the low-fat diet cut back on calories and fat and limited protein to about 15% of calories from protein, 30% from fat and 55% from carbohydrate.

An ultra low-fat diet and other lifestyle changes may help keep early-stage prostate cancer from worsening, researchers found in a small study that tracked men whose tumors weren't aggressive. The study, published in the September issue of the Journal of Urology, promises to increase research into whether diet might really help battle cancer. The study was led by heart-health guru Dr. Dean M.

In late summer of 1995, I extricated my Exercycle from beneath a pile of clothes and dust in the garage and started riding three days a week. I worked more salads into my diet and started cutting down on the beer and snacks, but I didn't really start a serious low-fat diet. At the time, I weighed 350 pounds and had a 54-inch waist. My cholesterol level was 158. On Oct. 31 of that year, I went to the emergency room with a back pain that was diagnosed as a muscle spasm.

The precise role of oat bran as a variable in lowering blood cholesterol is now a matter of public debate, but scientists have known for some time that soluble fiber isn't the cornerstone of cholesterol-lowering therapy. Research data has proven that soluble fiber intake, in general, and oat bran intake, in particular, when combined with a low-fat diet can influence cholesterol levels in the bloodstream.

Studies linking increased risk of death from heart disease and high levels of cholesterol in the diet of adults has led to some generalizations regarding children that are causing concern among pediatricians. In spite of calls for adults to cut back on high-cholesterol foods and reduce dietary fat from its current level of 40% and above to 30% and below, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Assn.

A combination of cholesterol-lowering drugs and a low-fat diet can open clogged arteries in some men with heart disease and allow them to avoid surgery, researchers said last week. The "surprising" results of a 32-month study found that men given intensive drug therapy had half as much disease progression and three times more reversal of blocked arteries than those given dummy drugs, said Dr. Greg Brown of the University of Washington in Seattle.

Switching to a low-fat, high-fiber diet or using bran fiber supplements does not reduce the incidence of intestinal polyps in people who, because they have already had such polyps surgically removed, are considered to be at high risk of colorectal cancer, according to two large clinical trials reported in today's New England Journal of Medicine. Between 5% and 10% of such polyps progress to cancer if they are not removed.

Keeping Type 2 diabetes under control isn't terribly complicated ? all patients have to do is maintain a healthy weight, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables as part of a low-calorie and low-fat diet, and follow their doctor's prescriptions for taking insulin or drugs to lower their blood sugar. But diabetes damage often goes unseen, so it's all too easy for patients to ignore this advice and continue their bad habits. Dr. Anne Peters, director of the USC Clinical Diabetes Program, says she wants her patients' blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels to be in the normal range.

The fascination with low-carb versus low-fat diet continues; the latest news comes from a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine released today that found that people on both diets lost about the same amount of weight over two years. However, the low-carb group had an edge in raising HDL (good) cholesterol and lowering diastolic blood pressure The study looked at 153 people who were randomly assigned to a low-carb diet, and 154 to a low-fat diet. The low-carb group limited carbohydrate intake to 20 grams per day for the first 12 weeks, then gradually increased fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy foods until they reached a desired weight.

Two decades after the debate began on which diet is best for weight loss, a conclusion is starting to come into focus. And the winner is . . . not low-carb, not low-fat, not high protein but . . . any diet. That is, any diet that is low in calories and saturated fats and high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables -- and that an individual can stick with for a lifetime -- is a reasonable choice for people who need to lose weight.

Re "Low-fat diet not tops for weight loss," July 17 As a dietitian, I'm concerned that the public is once again being misled about the safety and effectiveness of the Atkins diet. The recent weight-loss study, which was funded in part by the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation, compared a low-carbohydrate diet to a low-fat diet containing 30% of calories from fat. But a truly low-fat diet would contain less than 10% of calories from fat. Study participants on the so-called low-fat diet reduced their total fat intake by only 1.4% -- hardly enough to make a difference.

A long-running comparison of three diet plans found that the low-carbohydrate Atkins regimen and a Mediterranean diet rich in fish and nuts produced slightly greater weight loss than a low-fat program modeled on American Heart Assn. dietary guidelines.

"I've ALWAYS had the propensity to pork up," says L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, 59, who was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes seven years ago. That was his wake-up call to take a cold, hard look at his diet and transform it. He went from a high of 215 pounds to his current 185. Yaroslavsky often can be seen running around the Fairfax District and Hancock Park, an activity that he sticks to religiously, along with a low-fat diet.

A long-running comparison of three diet plans found that the low-carbohydrate Atkins regimen and a Mediterranean diet rich in fish and nuts produced slightly greater weight loss than a low-fat program modeled on American Heart Assn. dietary guidelines.

Dieters who want to keep from regaining the pounds they so painstakingly lost would do best to eat low-fat diets rather than curb carbs, new research suggests. A study presented this month at a meeting of more than 2,000 obesity experts found that it didn't matter what kind of diet people followed to lose weight initially, but keeping from regaining it was another matter.

Science journalist Gary Taubes thinks we've got it all wrong about fat and carbohydrates. In his new book, "Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control and Disease," Taubes argues that a diet rich in carbohydrates -- not excess calories or a sedentary lifestyle -- makes people fat and unhealthy.

"Low-Fat Diet Does Not Cut Health Risks, Study Finds" (New York Times, Feb. 8). "Study Reverses Long-Held Ideas on Calcium's Use" (Los Angeles Daily News, Feb. 16). "Study Revises View of Hormones, Heart Woes" (Chicago Sun-Times, Feb. 20). Just when you think you know what's good for your health, a new medical study changes everything. As these headlines attest, that's been happening a lot lately.