CHOLESTEROL MYTH BUSTERS AROUND THE WORLD

It looks like Sweden is going to be the first Western nation to officially endorse low-carb/high-fat nutrition and reject the low-fat, low-calorie dogma that has been in place for the last 30-plus years. The change followed the publication of a two-year study conducted by the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment. The council reviewed 16,000 studies published through May 31, 2013. Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt (DietDoctor.com) published some of the highlights of this study on his blog here: low-carb-diet effective for weight-loss. He says he expects future dietary guidelines for the…

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CHOLESTEROL CLARITY

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Cholesterol got a bad rap. The evidence continues to accumulate that cholesterol is not the villain it is made out to be, but is actually part of your body’s defense system against the real killers: chronic inflammation, the lack of good, natural fats, and stress. Dr. Dwight Lundell, one of the 29 experts interviewed by author Jimmy Moore in Cholesterol Clarity, noted that in the absence of inflammation, “Cholesterol would move freely throughout the body as nature intended.” Mark Sisson, another contributor, said, “Cholesterol is one…

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IS THERE ALREADY A CURE FOR OSTEOPOROSIS?

I went in for a medical checkup yesterday since I hadn’t had any tests since 2010. Along with the standard regimen of tests, the doctor prescribed a bone-density scan. I’ve only had one, about 15 years ago, and my rank was almost 100% then, but if I am diagnosed with osteoporosis, he will probably suggest the usual treatment: calcium, vitamin D, and drugs like Fosamax (bisphosphonates) and Prolia (denosumab). Bones are constantly being remodeled, with new bone replacing old bone. These drugs work by altering the cycle to slow the…

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REAL SCIENCE

The Ask Marilyn column in this week’s Parade Magazine featured this question from a reader: “If you wished to test the effects of a placebo, what would you give the control group?” Good question. In her reply, she tells about a study in which sham acupuncture was pitted against sham pills for chronic arm pain. The patients reported that the acupuncture worked better, she says, although objective measures, such as grip strength, showed no difference. But here is another interesting finding: “…Before the study began,…

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Harvard’s New Healthy Plate

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This is really short notice, but we are invited to submit questions to Dr. Eric Rimm of the Harvard School of Public Health in response to the release of their “Healthy Eating Plate,” the version of the nutritional recommendations that they propose as an alternative to the USDA’s “My Plate.” There will be a live, one hour, online question and answer period tomorrow, October 4, from 2:30 to 3:30 PM, EST. This is a chance to get your voice heard. The press release from Harvard showing the new plate is here:…

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IS CHOCOLATE GOOD FOR YOUR HEART?

A recent study from the University of Cambridge in the UK suggests that eating lots of chocolate may prevent heart disease. The report was published in the August 29, 2011 online edition of the British Medical Journal. Chocolate has been linked to health benefits before, but in this analysis of recent studies, researchers found that those who ate the most chocolate reduced their risk for heart disease by one-third. Dr. Oscar H. Franco and his team did a meta-analysis of seven published medical studies that…

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Response to: “The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, The Nutritional Law of the Land”

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The March issue of The Front Burner, published by the International Association of Culinary Professionals, included an article by Michelle Dudash titled, “The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010: ‘The Nutritional Law of the Land,’” with advice about how we can help implement the recommendations. This is my response: The first Dietary Goals for Americans in 1977 (1.) told us to eat more carbohydrates and less fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and salt. This same advice, carried to further extremes, is served up in the 2010 Dietary…

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SWITZERLAND

My husband had a business meeting in Switzerland the week before Thanksgiving and I decided to go along since I had the chance. The picture above shows a unit at the Palafitte Hotel on Lake Neuchatel (literally ON Lake Neuchatel) where we stayed. It was like being on a luxury cruise without the rocking. Switzerland is known for watches, knives, chocolate, banking, and because it is a mountainous country better suited for grazing cows than farming, it is also famous for its marvelous cheese and…

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ICE CREAM, MILK FAT, AND HOGS

A fellow low-carber who is still mourning the loss of Watch’n Carbs, the low-carb ice cream recently discontinued by Lucerne, sent me a message about his latest discovery. He was excited that he had found a sucalose-sweetened ice cream at a Ben and Jerry’s stand at the airport. With guarded optimism, I checked their website: The first flavor listed on their nutrition info chart was Butter Pecan. It had 17 grams of carbohydrate and zero fiber, so a net of 17 grams. The very last…

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LAST DAY FOR COMMENTS ON USDA GUIDELINES

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July 15th is the last day to submit your comments to the USDA about their new food guidelines. I urge you to please speak out before this travesty is finalized. You are limited to 2,000 characters or less, and they seem to count spaces. If you want to send a longer message, you can send it as an attachment. I thought people would be more likely to read it if they didn’t have to open anything, so I worked really hard to get my comment…

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“FAT” IS A WINNER!

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Well, knock me over with a lamb chop, if Jennifer McLagan hasn’t won the prestigious International Association of Culinary Professionals’ Single Subject Award for her book celebrating–fat! And she beat out two really big names in food circles to do it: the other nominees were Under Pressure, by Thomas Keller, famed chef and owner of The French Laundry restaurant, and A Year in Chocolate by Jacques Torres (a famous name and the word chocolate in the title usually insures a win!). OK, so she didn’t…

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