To ordinary citizens, the low-fat diet held two promises: that it was the healthier option and that it was the right approach to lose weight. This whole low-fat diet movement was probably started back in 1961 by physiologist Ancel Keys according to a Harvard article by T.H. Chan. However, six decades later, America has gotten fatter with an alarming rise in obesity and diabetes levels, which prompted others to call the "fat-free" message a public health disaster.
The Myth of Low Fat Being Healthier
Back in the days when cardiologist Dr. Atkins of the famous Atkins diet started a low carb high protein and fat diet, most in the medical profession scoffed at the idea. Indeed, the main consensus at that time is that only a very low fat diet is the optimal diet (without regard for carb or sugar content) while Atkins stressed a low carb low sugar approach (with normal fat intake as long as it is good fat/good cholesterol).
It turns out Atkins was right after all according to a Huffingtonpost article by Robert S Bobrow, MD. In the article, Bobrow pointed out that study after study had consistently shown that diets high in fat but low in carbohydrates not only make it easier for people to lose weight but only lower their triglyceride levels. The most recent one being a 2012 study involving 5,000 participants and spanning 10 years wherein it was conclusively shown that people with "a higher intake of dairy saturated fat was associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk."
In addition, Atkins was one of the first few to point out that margarine, which was at one time touted as a low fat option, is actually more dangerous than real butter because of the trans fat content.
The Myth of Low Fat Food Being Good for Weight Loss
People have fallen to this commercial slogan time and again. Thankfully, recent studies have exposed the fallacy of this notion. Instead of making you slimmer, diet foods may actually make you fatter.
1. Addition of Sugar - Food items, when drained of their natural fats are generally tasteless. To compensate for this lack of flavor, manufacturers have to replace the lost fat with something else to make it more palatable, and this is usually sugar and other flavor enhancers. And sugar mean trouble to those trying to trim down their waistlines.
2. Low-fat intake leads to more calories consumed - The fat content in food also helps people feel fuller for longer periods. This mean that people consuming low-fat options will feel hungrier sooner which then translates to more frequent eating and at the end of the day, more calorie intake compared to those having their normal share of fats.
3. A third reason could also be psychology. In an article by Brian Wansink Ph.D. and Pierre Chandon, Ph.D. for a Cornell publication, it was found that people are encouraged to eat up to 50 percent more when seeing the "low-fat" label.
People who are really serious in their weight loss should ditch sugar from their diet instead. To be more effective, high glycemic index food must be minimized if not totally eliminated.
Long story short, fats do not make a person fat; it's usually the sugar and highly-processed food that does that. Fat is essential to a number of biological processes including vitamin absorption and hormonal balance that it would be insane to remove it.
