Re: Low-Fat Diet Study: The Experts Speak Out
- From: "Joe the Aroma" <schizam2001@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 11:50:17 -0500
"TC" <tunderbar@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1139415697.071018.49290@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=1590421
Feb. 7, 2006 - In e-mails and phone interviews that ABC News
conducted with more than 50 specialists in heart disease, cancer and
nutrition, questions were raised about the limitations of a new study
of low-fat diets by the Women's Health Initiative. The study said that
a low-fat diet didn't reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer in
postmenopausal women, at least over an eight-year period.
Here's what the experts had to say:
"This does not mean that diet does not influence breast cancer risk,
but it does mean that making a change in your diet to reduce your risk
of developing breast cancer is unlikely to be successful. If diet does
play a role, it may well be the food that you eat when you are 10, 15,
20, 25 ... that is important, not what you eat at age 50 plus." - Dr.
Eric Winer, director, Breast Cancer Oncology Center, Dana-Farber Cancer
Institute
"Eight years for cancer prevention is not sufficient. It takes up to 30
years of smoking to cause cancer. How do you expect eight years of a
little better food to prevent breast or other cancers?" - Dr. Stefan
Glück, director, Breast Cancer Institute, University of Miami
"Should these results lead to any changes in public health
recommendations? Absolutely not. Remember, the dietary goals of this
study were not entirely reached, and there is enough reason to continue
with research studies that would tighten up the weaknesses and then see
the results." - Keith-Thomas Ayoob, nutrition and pediatrics
professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
"We have known all this for a long time, which is why this extremely
expensive diet trial part of the Women's Health Initiative failed
scientific peer review when it was proposed, and only was funded by
political intervention by Congress. It never had much scientific merit
because it was not testing a good diet." - Dr. Meir Stampfer, chair,
epidemiology department, Harvard School of Public Health
"These results are consistent with the understanding that the balance
between fat, carbohydrate and protein is not the most important factor
determining heart disease risk. Bottom line: Low-fat diets are not
necessarily more healthy. However, a Mediterranean diet rich in certain
vegetable oils and fish is likely beneficial." - Dr. Steven E.
Nissen, vice chairman, department of cardiology, Cleveland Clinic
Foundation
"[This information] raises interesting questions but doubt that it will
lead to significant changes in current recommendations. The advice to
restrict saturated and trans fats will continue. Approaches to cancer
screening will remain unchanged." -Dr. Greg Anderson, primary care
physician, Mayo Clinic
"My reaction is mostly 'too little change in fat intake for too little
time.' The actual difference was only 8-10 percentage points, and for
only eight years. Colon cancer, for example, is a 20-30 year disease
- why would we think that such a small intervention for such a short
time would have an effect?" -Dr. Thomas L. Schwenk, primary care
physician, University of Michigan
"No surprises. Eight years of follow-up is too short a time to show an
effect. Let's wait for 15-30 years of follow-up before we judge
significance." - Dr. Michael Fine, physician in chief, department of
family medicine, Rhode Island Hospital
*********
Who are these guys?
Keith Ayoob, Ed.D., R.D., F.A.D.A., Spokesman for the American Dietetic
Association; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College
of Medicine, Bronx, NY. Scientific advisor to Kidnetic.com, which is
funded through the International Food Information Council Foundation
(IFIC) by Coca-Cola, Hershey Foods Corporation, H.J. Heinz Foundation,
Keebler Company, Kellogg Company, Kraft Foods, Masterfoods USA,
McDonald's, the National Confectioners Association, Procter & Gamble,
PepsiCo., Sara Lee Corporation, and the Snack Food Association.
(http://www.kidnetic.com/home/kidneticinfo.html; accessed 11/12/03)
Member of the expert advisory board for the American Council for
Fitness and Nutrition. (http://www.acfn.org/about/advisory.html;
accessed 11/12/03) Referenced as a Bally Total Fitness expert in an
article on weight-loss strategies.
(http://www.ballyfitness.com/rapid_results/expert_advice/articles/articleDyn.asp?article=16;
accessed 11/12/03)
Meir Stampfer, M.D., Dr.P.H., Department of Epidemiology, Harvard
School of Public Health, Boston, MA. According to the Wall Street
Journal, Stampfer "is the star of a new Anheuser move to publicize the
health benefits of beer consumption." (Kevin Helliker, Sarah Ellison,
"Anheuser Wants World to Know Beer Is Healthy," Wall Street Journal,
Dec. 9, 2005, p.B1) "Except for travel expenses, Dr. Stampfer says he
receives no money for speaking at Anheuser functions." (Helliker,
Ellison, 12/9/05) "In the past two year Anheuser has donated $150,000
in doctoral-student scholarship funds to the Harvard School of Public
Health," where Stampfer teaches. (Helliker, Ellison, 12/9/05)
"One of industry's six scientific expert witnesses, [Dr. Stampfer] was
paid by Verizon Wireless to write the Food and Drug Administration and
.. . . bring to the agency's attention epidemiology studies that had
been conducted to date . . . [H]as been paid $80,000 to date by the
cellular industry for help with the Newman Case [the $800 million
lawsuit brought by Christopher Newman against Motorola Inc., wireless
service providers, and the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet
Association]." (RCR Wireless News, 03/04/02, p. 1)
Steven E. Nissen, M.D., F.A.C.C., Medical Director, Cardiovascular
Coordinating Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland. Principal
investigator on "Statin Therapy, LDL Cholesterol, C-Reactive Protein,
and Coronary Artery Disease," which was funded by Pfizer. Served as a
consultant to AstraZeneca, Atherogenics, Lipid Sciences, Wyeth,
Novartis, Pfizer, Sankyo, Takeda, Kowa, Sanofi, Novo-Nordisk, Eli
Lilly, Kos Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, Forbes Medi-tech, and
Merck-Schering Plough. Served as a lecturer for AstraZeneca and
Pfizer, and receives funding from AstraZeneca, Takeda, Sankyo, Pfizer,
Atherogenics, and Lipid Sciences for ongoing clinical trials. (N Engl J
Med. 2005;352:29-38.) Research on lipid-lowering therapy on progression
of coronary atherosclerosis through the use of statins Pravachol
(pravastatin) and Lipitor (atorvastatin) funded by Pfizer. Research
support from AstraZeneca, Merck-Schering Plough, Esperion Therapeutics,
Takeda, Pfizer, and Sankyo. (JAMA. 2004;291:1071-80) Principal
investigator on the CAMELOT study of amlodipine (Norvasc) vs. enalapril
for hypertension, which was funded by Pfizer. (JAMA. 2004;292:2217-26.)
Consultant or research support from Pfizer, Merck, AstraZeneca, Sankyo,
Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Guidant, Aventis, Fournier,
Boston Scientific, Pharmacyclics, Celltech, and Esperion.
(http://www.lipidhealth.org/content/newsletter/vol6no4/pg3.asp;
accessed 3/23/05)
Interesting to see their spin compared directly to non-industry-whores
opinions.
TC
I'm dizzy.
.
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