The new guidelines are based on a large number of diet studies involving hundreds of thousands of people. The researchers claim that the original diet-heart hypothesis was "overly optimistic."
American Academy Physicians & Surgeons Summer, 2003 (PDF file)
In the article, Dr. Ravnskov comments on Dr. Willet's and Dr. Hu's retreat from the original diet-heart hypothesis. Dr. Willet is chairman of the Harvard Department of Nutrition and one of the most widely published nutritional physicians in the world.
The trend now is to place less emphasis on total cholesterol and more on other cardiac risk factors such as:
The reason why many people have not succeeded with the original diet-heart hypothesis (low-fat, high-carbs) is likely explained by Metabolic Typing. We each have one of three metabolic types and each suits people to a different type of diet. Some people will benefit from the Total Health Program--a "high"-carb program that is two-thirds carbs as vegetables--while others need to follow a diet that is higher in protein to function optimally.
It all depends on your own unique biochemistry. To find out more about Metabolic Typing, I highly recommend the book "The Metabolic Typing Diet," by William Wolcott. It is definitely a book that belongs on the shelf of anyone with any interest in nutrition.
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