We spent decades avoiding fat. Were we wrong?

Three nutrition experts agree that blanket low fat advice was a mistake. But they differ on what should replace it.

 

The 40-year fat experiment didn't work. Now what? For decades, the message was simple: eat less fat. So millions of people switched to skimmed milk, fat-free salad dressing, and low fat snack bars. The result? "We spent 40 years stripping fat out of food and replacing it with refined starch and sugar, then acted surprised when obesity rates tripled, and type 2 diabetes skyrocketed," says bariatric surgeon Dr. Hector Perez. All three experts Medical News Today consulted agreed the old low fat orthodoxy is dead. But they differ on what comes next. Perez calls low fat advice "obsolete and naïve," noting that fat-free products are often loaded with sugar. Dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick points to a recent study showing diet quality matters more than whether you go low fat or low carb. Preventive cardiology dietitian Michelle Routhenstein takes a more cautious line. She still recommends keeping saturated fat below 10% of daily calories, depending on your cardiovascular risk, and favours swapping saturated fat for unsaturated sources rather than simply eating more of everything. "Swapping is more beneficial than eliminating altogether," she says. For more on which fats to limit and why the location of body fat may matter more than your weight, jump to "Is everything we know about fat wrong? Experts debunk 4 myths." Also making headlines this week: 🧬 Blood test could predict dementia in women up to 25 years before symptoms appear 💊 Daily multivitamin may slow biological aging by up to 5 months, major trial finds 🧠 Age-related memory loss may start in the gut, not the brain We love to hear from you, so please email us if you have any feedback, comments, or questions about this weekend's Sunday Supplement. Stay informed and stay healthy! Tim Snaith Newsletter Editor, Medical News Today

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In case you missed it Daily multivitamin delays biological aging by up to 5 months, trial finds   The COSMOS trial found that a daily multivitamin delayed biological aging by 2.7 to 5.1 months, and that this effect was more apparent in older adults who are already experiencing accelerated aging. Read on   Could GLP-1 drugs cut the risk of complications after a heart attack?   GLP-1 drugs may help boost heart attack recovery by lowering the risk of major complications, an animal study suggests. Read on   Water sources may affect Parkinson's disease risk: What to know   Where drinking water comes from and what it contains may affect Parkinson's disease risk, a recent study suggests. Read on   Blood test may predict dementia up to 25 years before symptom onset in women   A study conducted in older women indicated that blood levels of the protein p-tau217 could predict the future risk of mild cognitive impairment or dementia up to 25 years before symptom onset. Read on   Could the gut be driving age-related memory loss?   A study in mice concluded that memory problems associated with age may be driven by our gut microbiome and that the vagus nerve may be key to reversing it. Read on   MORE HEALTH NEWS

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