| It all started with eggs. | | | | way to go. |
| We weren't supposed to eat them as they | | | | With advances in the analysis of blood |
| contain cholesterol, the stuff that | | | | it is no longer necessary to wait until |
| leads to furring of the arteries and | | | | someone keels over before the effects of |
| heart problems. Then that piece of | | | | their diet can be assessed, and it's |
| advice suddenly disappeared when | | | | here that another myth, the one that |
| research suggested that eating foods | | | | says cholesterol is bad for you, bites |
| high in cholesterol doesn't lead to an | | | | the dust. It now emerges that there are |
| increase in that substance in the | | | | two types. High density lipoprotein |
| bloodstream. Instead the blame was laid | | | | (HDL) cholesterol helps prevent the |
| at the door of saturated (ie animal) | | | | build up of deposits on artery walls |
| fat. Not that there were any clinical | | | | whilst low density lipoprotein (LDL) has |
| trials to prove this. The theory was | | | | the opposite effect. The proportion of |
| formulated because of epidemiological | | | | HDL to LDL cholesterol is as significant |
| evidence, the study of nations, usually | | | | as the overall level in the bloodstream. |
| non-western, where the incidences of | | | | Has anyone apologised for the previous |
| heart disease and bowel cancer are | | | | duff information that was imparted? |
| lower. | | | | Like hell. |
| The food industry embraced the idea | | | | There's a quietly emerging school of |
| warmly, and produced a vast range of | | | | thought that takes dietary theory away |
| foods which were claimed to be low in | | | | from the idea that protein, fat and |
| fat (note how the 'saturated' bit got | | | | carbohydrate should be consumed in |
| lost.) Eat a diet low in fat and you'll | | | | specified percentages. Instead we |
| be healthy and slim we were told. | | | | should be eating foodstuffs that have |
| Then a funny thing happened. Lots of | | | | been around as long as humans have. |
| people started to get fat. They | | | | Staples should be meat, fish, fruit, |
| continue to do so, with childhood | | | | vegetables, nuts and pulses, food that |
| obesity being a particular problem. | | | | the body is designed to process. There |
| Meanwhile, on the Atkins diet, a regime | | | | is logic to this theory, but still the |
| high in fat and protein but low in | | | | establishment continues to pump out the |
| carbohydrate, success was had by some in | | | | guff that a low fat diet is desirable |
| losing weight. It should have been | | | | when evidence doesn,t back this up. |
| obvious that this was going to happen, | | | | To summarise, the misinformation that's |
| because the nutritionists said it | | | | been bandied about for the last thirty |
| wouldn't do. Not that Atkins is | | | | years: |
| necessarily the answer. The side | | | | Eggs are bad for you - no they're not. |
| effects, such as bad breath, | | | | Cholesterol is bad for you - not |
| constipation and feeling lousy, are well | | | | necessarily. |
| documented, but its record in shedding | | | | Fat is bad for you - wrong again. |
| the pounds punches holes in the theory | | | | Here's a better piece of advice: |
| that a diet low in fat, moderate in | | | | Nutritionists are bad for you. |
| protein and stuffed with carbs is the | | | | |