- Report accuses public health bodies of colluding with food industry
- Claims most of what we are told about healthy eating is wrong
- And that far from demonising fat, we should be eating more of it
- But critics argue the authors cherry picked evidence to suit their argument
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Cutting back on butter, cream, cheese and other fatty foods is fuelling the obesity epidemic with disastrous consequences for health, experts have warned.
In a damning report that accuses major public health bodies of colluding with the food industry, the National Obesity Forum and the Public Health Collaboration said most of what we are told about healthy eating is wrong.
The report’s authors say the epidemic’s roots lie in the modern-day obsession with low-fat diets, while snacking between meals is making people fat.
And their highly controversial report – which has been slammed by many other experts for being ‘irresponsible’ – cites studies which show a higher-fat, lower-carb diet to be superior.
It states: ‘Eating a diet rich in full-fat dairy – such as cheese, milk and yoghurt – can actually lower the chance of obesity.
‘The most natural and nutritious foods available – meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, olives, avocados – all contain saturated fat.’
Low fat diets are fuelling the obesity epidemic, an obesity charity claims. People should stop counting calories and eat healthy fats like butter, cream, cheese, eggs, salmon, avocado and nuts, it said
WHY SUGAR – NOT FAT – IS FUELLING OBESITY, CARDIOLOGIST CLAIMS
Currently, the Government says people in the UK eat too much saturated fat.
It says the average man should eat no more than 30g of saturated fat a day, while the average woman should eat no more than 20g a day.
A diet high in saturated fat can increase levels of ‘bad cholesterol’ in the blood, raising the risk of heart disease.
But recently, that risk has been disputed.
Writing in the British Medical Journal, cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra said saturated fat has been ‘demonised for decades’ and there is no evidence it is linked with heart disease.
In fact, we should be eating more saturated fat to protect our hearts, he said.
He says it is sugar, not fat, which was causing so many of society’s health problems.
Sugar causes a rise in blood sugar levels, which triggers a spike in insulin – the hormone which clears glucose from the blood.
But insulin is a storage hormone, encouraging extra calories to be laid down in the body as fat.
Therefore sugar and carbohydrates like white bread, pasta, rice and potatoes are fueling the obesity epidemic, he said.
Calling for a ‘major overhaul’ of dietary guidelines, today’s report claims:
* Processed foods labelled ‘low fat’, ‘lite’, ‘low cholesterol’ or ‘proven to lower cholesterol’ should be avoided at all costs
* People with type 2 diabetes should eat a fat-rich diet rather than one based on carbohydrates.
* Sugar should be avoided and we should stop counting calories.
* The idea that exercise can help you ‘outrun a bad diet’ is a myth.
* Instead, a diet low in refined carbohydrates but high in healthy fats is ‘an effective and safe approach for preventing weight gain and aiding weight loss’, and cuts the risk of heart disease.
* The report’s authors call for a return to ‘whole foods’ such as meat, fish and dairy, as well as high fat healthy foods including avocados, arguing that ‘eating fat does not make you fat’.
* Eating a diet rich in full fat dairy – such as cheese, milk and yoghurt – can actually lower the chance of obesity.
* Saturated fat does not cause heart disease, while full fat diary can actually protect the heart.
It states: ‘The most natural and nutritious foods available – meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, olive, avocados – all contain saturated fat.
‘The continued demonisation of omnipresent natural fat drives people away from highly nourishing, wholesome and health promoting foods.’
Monounsaturated fats – such as those found in avocado, olive oil and nuts – help protect our hearts The new Eatwell Guide, produced by Public Health England, was developed with members of the food and drinks industry, documents show
The group also included representatives from the Association of Convenience Stores and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), which is funded by farmers and growers and supports the meat, dairy and potato industry.
Other members of the review group included health bodies such as Association for Nutrition and the British Nutrition Foundation.
HOW THE REVISED ‘HEALTHY EATING’ PLATE LOOKS NOW
The revised guide, issued in March, put high-fat and high-sugar foods outside the healthy eating ‘wheel’, with a warning to ‘eat less often and in small amounts’.
The dairy section was cut to almost half its previous size and replaced with pictures of several lower fat options.
The beans, pulses, fish, meat and eggs section remained the same size but advised people to ‘eat less red and processed meat’.
The guide also told consumers to eat ‘at least’ five portions of fruit and veg per day, while the section for potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates was beefed up to give a slightly bigger role for these foods.
A new oils and spreads section also urged people to ‘choose unsaturated oils and use in small amounts’, while people were also told to drink water, lower-fat milk or sugar-free drinks.
Criticism of PHE’s links with industry have been made in a new report from the National Obesity Forum and the Public Health Collaboration.
It is not the first time PHE’s association with industry has come under scrutiny.
Last year, experts in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and The Lancet criticised the evidence used by PHE in its report on e-cigarettes.
Researchers questioned the robustness of the data and pointed to links between some experts, the tobacco industry and firms that manufacture e-cigarettes.
An editorial in The Lancet medical journal attacked the ‘extraordinarily flimsy foundation’ on which PHE based its major conclusion.
And in the BMJ, two further researchers said PHE’s claims that ‘the current best estimate is that e-cigarettes are around 95 per cent less harmful than smoking’ came from a single meeting of 12 people, some of whom had links to industry.
The external reference group for the Eatwell Guide met several times between 2014 and 2015.
Their terms of reference included revising the segment sizes for the Eatwell Plate, reviewing the visuals and ‘approaches for reflecting messages on foods that should be consumed in limited amounts’, the documents, seen by the Press Association following enquiries to PHE, show.
The eventual guide put high-fat and high-sugar foods outside the healthy eating ‘wheel’, with a warning to ‘eat less often and in small amounts’.
The dairy section was cut to almost half its previous size and replaced with pictures of several lower fat options.
The revised guide also told consumers to eat ‘at least’ five portions of fruit and veg per day, while the section for potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates was beefed up to give a slightly
The beans, pulses, fish, meat and eggs section remained the same size but advised people to ‘eat less red and processed meat’.
The guide also told consumers to eat ‘at least’ five portions of fruit and veg per day, while the section for potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates was beefed up to give a slightly bigger role for these foods.
The refresh of the Eatwell model was conducted openly using robust scientific approaches Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England
A new oils and spreads section also urged people to ‘choose unsaturated oils and use in small amounts’, while people were also told to drink water, lower-fat milk or sugar-free drinks.
Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE, said decisions on the graphic were made separately to the nutritional recommendations underpinning them.
She said: ‘Our independent experts review all the available evidence – often hundreds of scientific papers – run full-scale consultations and go to great lengths to ensure no bias when developing our scientific advice on nutrition.
‘These recommendations are completely separate to the Eatwell model, which is a visual way of presenting the information.
‘The refresh of the Eatwell model was conducted openly using robust scientific approaches.
‘Advice was generated from an external reference group engaging interested stakeholders; including health, voluntary and industry representatives to ensure a wide range of views were considered.’
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