Cholesterol & Food

On March 9, 2006 I wrote about the findings from a study using a "portfolio" of foods in an attempt to use a low-fat diet to lower cholesterol. Today, the Washington Post carried Sally Squires take on that study in the Lean Plate Club - Portfolio Diet: Tough to Stay Invested In.

As is often the case, I have to wonder if Ms. Squires read the full-text of the study or not. More troubling is her recommendations to swap the foods that were part of the study for other foods, even though those foods were not part of the trial!

My article on the study is here: This is Success?

I'll add today, that the results were not impressive when you consider that 70% of those who followed the diet enthusiatically did not see a benefit. In reviewing various dietary interventions, a low carbohydrate diet has a much more dramatic effect on cholesterol levels and ratios in a much shorter period of time. Diet can indeed be used to effectively improve cholesterol - a low-fat diet is not the best option however.