Atkins Absolved, Again
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has concluded that eating a low-carb, high-fat diet does not raise the risk of heart disease. Too bad Dr. Atkins didn’t live to see his work vindicated.
But guess what else the study found? Women who got their carbohydrates from refined sugar nearly doubled their risk. Unfortunately, the response to the sugar issue from the immediate past president of the American Heart Association was disappointing, to say the least. While noting that the study “certainly raises questions: about the role of refined sugar, he concluded that medical guidelines will not be changed.
Hmmm, let’s see…childhood obesity, diabetes, heart disease, all on the rise. Yet all he can say is that it certainly raises questions. Excuse me Mr. Past-AHA-President, but don’t you think you might consider some slightly stronger reaction? Perhaps, a warning to your public? The study certainly does raise some questions, and not just about sugar. For example, the study also found that eating fat from vegetables sources rather than animal sources lowered the risk by 30%.
Of course, no study can answer all our questions, but we can learn something useful if we see each bit of information as just another piece of the Total Wellness puzzle. As always, increase your consumption of fruits and veggies. And realize that eating meat — especially if it’s hormone-free and grass-fed, and is eaten in moderation — won’t increase your risk of heart disease. And, Mr. Past-President, I am willing to go out on the proverbial limb and say “No!” to refined sugar.
But guess what else the study found? Women who got their carbohydrates from refined sugar nearly doubled their risk. Unfortunately, the response to the sugar issue from the immediate past president of the American Heart Association was disappointing, to say the least. While noting that the study “certainly raises questions: about the role of refined sugar, he concluded that medical guidelines will not be changed.
Hmmm, let’s see…childhood obesity, diabetes, heart disease, all on the rise. Yet all he can say is that it certainly raises questions. Excuse me Mr. Past-AHA-President, but don’t you think you might consider some slightly stronger reaction? Perhaps, a warning to your public? The study certainly does raise some questions, and not just about sugar. For example, the study also found that eating fat from vegetables sources rather than animal sources lowered the risk by 30%.
Of course, no study can answer all our questions, but we can learn something useful if we see each bit of information as just another piece of the Total Wellness puzzle. As always, increase your consumption of fruits and veggies. And realize that eating meat — especially if it’s hormone-free and grass-fed, and is eaten in moderation — won’t increase your risk of heart disease. And, Mr. Past-President, I am willing to go out on the proverbial limb and say “No!” to refined sugar.
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