A low-fat diet might kill you, finds the new PURE study

Could a low-fat diet kill you? A new study published in the prestigeous medical journal the Lancet is another nail in the coffin for our current fat-phobic, carb-heavy guidelines.

The PURE study followed over 135 000 people in 18 countries from 5 continents for over seven years. They found that people who ate more carbohydrates died earlier. A higher intake of fat, on the other hand, was linked to longer lives. This was true regardless of whether the fat was unsaturated or saturated – high consumption of all fats were linked to a longer life.

In addition, people who avoided saturated fats had an increased risk of stroke, suggesting that saturated fats might protect against stroke.

Of course observational data like this cannot prove cause and effect. However, it’s highly unlikely that natural saturated fats would be anything to worry about, when people around the world who eat the most saturated fats live significantly longer lives!

It’s another nail in the coffin for the utterly failed low-fat dietary guidelines. Or, as the Lancet study concludes: Global dietary guidelines should be reconsidered in light of these findings.

• The Telegraph: Low-fat diet could kill you, major study finds
• Cardio Brief: Huge diet study questions conventional wisdom about carbs and fat
• CBC News: Recommended fat intake should increase, Canadian researchers say
• The Lancet: Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study