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CommentaryModest Diet Changes Produce Modest Results This letter to the editor ran Mar. 3, 2006, in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune To the Editor: The results of the Women’s Health Initiative study on low-fat diets may seem shocking, but can we really expect anything more than modest results from a diet that makes only modest reductions in fat intake?
This study simply confirms what others have already proven: Diets that shift the focus from red meat to chicken or fish and have other minor reductions in fat are too weak to lower cholesterol or prevent cancer. For example, the inclusion of naturally high-fat meat and dairy products in the intervention group’s diet made it difficult for participants to meet the moderately low-fat requirement. By the end of the study, these women were averaging 29 percent of calories from fat, even though they were instructed to consume no more than 20 percent. But a growing body of scientific evidence has shown that people on low-fat, plant-based diets have dramatically lower rates of cancer, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses than meat eaters. And while a modestly low-fat diet will yield modest results, a truly low-fat diet—about 10 percent of calories from fat—with no animal fat or cholesterol can be an effective and powerful tool for reducing cancer and heart disease risk. Sincerely,
Jennifer K. Reilly, R.D.
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