A study reevaluating “the traditional diet-heart hypothesis” concludes that replacing dietary saturated fat with vegetable oils lowers serum cholesterol but does not reduce the risk of death from coronary heart disease or other causes. Christopher Ramsden, et al., “Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73),” BMJ, April 2016. Using previously unpublished data from the Minnesota Coronary Experiment (MCE)—“a double blind randomized controlled trial designed to test whether replacement of saturated fat with vegetable oil rich in linoleic acid reduces coronary heart disease and death by lowering serum cholesterol”—researchers examined data on diet, serum cholesterol and health outcomes for 9,423 women and men ages 20 to 97 years. Their results evidently showed that substituting saturated fat with linoleic acid showed no benefits for coronary atherosclerosis or myocardial infarcts, even though participants in the dietary intervention group exhibited a significant reduction in serum cholesterol…
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In this April 7, 2016, article about changing dietary recommendations and rising obesity rates, Ian Leslie resurrects the forgotten work of John Yudkin, a U.K. nutritionist who in 1972 authored a book titled Pure, White, and Deadly about the purported dangers of excess sugar consumption. Drawing parallels between this earlier research and that of contemporary anti-sugar crusader Robert Lustig, Leslie suggests that the scientific community effectively silenced Yudkin when his data came into conflict with the prevailing “fat hypothesis” backed by “brilliant, charismatic, and combative” Ancel Keys, who posited that dietary fat caused heart disease and other metabolic diseases. As Leslie explains, “[The] sharp fluctuations in Yudkin’s stock have had little to do with the scientific method, and a lot to do with the unscientific way in which the field of nutrition has conducted itself over the years. This story, which has begun to emerge in the past decade, has…
“Cancer and Diet: The Latest on Processed Meats, Fats and More” is the title of a January 15, 2016, live forum hosted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Webcast faculty, including Harvard Professors Walter Willett and Frank Hu, will discuss the World Health Organization’s classification of processed meat as a “Group 1” carcinogen and the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, among other topics. Willett and Hu were quoted in a January 8 Time article about the role of food industry influence on the new guidelines. Issue 589
The U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) have published the 2015-2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which now emphasize overall dietary patterns as opposed to nutrient quotas. Explaining that “people do not eat food groups and nutrients in isolation but rather in combination,” the guidelines offer the following “overarching” recommendations: (i) “follow a healthy eating pattern across the lifespan”; (ii) “focus on variety, nutrient density, and amount”; (iii) “limit calories from added sugars and saturated fats and reduce sodium intake”; (iv) “shift to healthier foods and beverage choices”; and (v) “support healthy eating patterns for all.” Among other things, the Dietary Guidelines specify that a healthy diet includes a variety of dark green, red, orange, and starchy vegetables as well as legumes; whole fruits; grains and whole grains; fat-free or low-fat dairy products and/or fortified soy beverages; a variety of proteins, such as seafood, lean meats,…
An animal study has reportedly suggested that dietary long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) can increase the severity of chronic inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Aiden Haghikia, et al., “Dietary Fatty Acids Directly Impact Central Nervous System Autoimmunity via the Small Intestine,” Immunity, October 2015. Using murine cell cultures and experimental models, researchers evidently showed that LCFAs “enhanced the differentiation and proliferation” of central nervous system reactive immune cells in the intestinal wall, while short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) promoted the development of regulatory cells that control excessive inflammation. “These data demonstrate a direct dietary impact on intestinal-specific, and subsequently central nervous system-specific, Th cell responses in autoimmunity, and thus might have therapeutic implications for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis,” states the study, which remarks that these effects did not appear in germ-free intestinal environments and raises questions about the role of the microbiome in mediating autoimmune responses. The researchers apparently…
A consumer has filed a putative class action against Kraft Foods Group, Inc. alleging that the company’s Knudsen Hampshire Sour Cream is labeled as containing 60 calories with 3.5 grams of saturated fat per halfcup while the actual content is 240 calories with 14 grams of saturated fat. Appel v. Kraft Foods Grp., Inc., No. BC587662 (Cal. Super. Ct., Los Angeles Cty., filed July 9, 2015). The plaintiff further alleges that the listed sodium content of 10 milligrams and sugar content of one gram is incorrect because the sour cream actually contains 40 milligrams of sodium and four grams of sugar. The complaint does not provide the source of the plaintiff’s quadrupled figures. He alleges that Kraft has violated California consumer-protection statutes and seeks class certification, compensatory and punitive damages, restitution, an injunction, and attorney’s fees. Issue 572
The 14-member committee charged with developing the federal government’s "2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans” has issued its report containing recommendations for promoting consumption of foods and beverages that assist in maintaining a healthy weight and preventing disease. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) are soliciting written comments about the committee’s report as well as offering the opportunity to provide oral comments at a March 24, 2015, public meeting in Bethesda, Maryland. Recommendations include following a diet low in saturated fat, added sugars and sodium, i.e., “less than 2,300 mg dietary sodium per day (or age-appropriate Dietary Reference Intake amount), less than 10 percent of total calories from saturated fat per day, and a maximum of 10 percent of total calories from added sugars per day.” The committee discourages consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. Issue 556
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety and the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition have announced a January 13, 2015, public meeting in College Park, Maryland, to discuss draft U.S. positions for consideration during the 24th Session of the Codex Committee on Fats and Oils slated for February 9-13 in Melaka, Malaysia. Agenda items at the January meeting include a proposed draft standard for fish oils and discussion papers focusing on (i) cold pressed oils and (ii) amended standards for sunflower seed oils and high oleic soybean oil. See Federal Register, November 19, 2014. Issue 546
Diamond Foods, Inc. has agreed to settle the consumer fraud class action suits filed by plaintiffs in California and Florida alleging that the company falsely labels its Kettle Brand® chip products as “All Natural,” when they contain artificial, synthetic or genetically modified ingredients, or as “Reduced Fat” while referencing non-comparable foods. Klacko v. Diamond Foods, Inc., No. 14-80005 (S.D. Fla., motion for preliminary approval filed October 22, 2014). Details about one of two similar California lawsuits appear in Issue 510 of this Update. Under the agreement, the company would establish a $2.75-million fund for class member claims, pay the costs of class notice and administration up to $300,000 and agree not to oppose attorney’s fees, expenses and costs of $775,000. Class members with proof of purchase would be able to recover up to $20, representing $1.00 for up to 20 purchases; those without proof of purchase would recover up to $10.…
Examining the evolution of the Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI), a recent Wired magazine article by Sam Apple explores how NuSI’s latest research efforts seek to test long-standing assumptions about the health effects of sugar and fat. Titled “Why Are We So Fat? The Multimillion-Dollar Scientific Quest to Find Out,” the article highlights the work of NuSI founders Peter Attia, a medical researcher, and Gary Taubes, a science journalist who has made a career out of exposing the allegedly tenuous evidence linking dietary nutrients to specific disease outcomes. “Taubes and Attia are firmly in the sugar-bad, saturated-fat-good camp,” reports Apple, pointing to an alternative hypothesis now popular in some scientific circles that blames table sugar and refined carbohydrates—as opposed to fats—for rising obesity rates. “But even they acknowledge they can’t be certain. That’s because, as Taubes eloquently argues, most of the existing knowledge gathered in the past five decades of research comes…
