Government guidelines recommend that Americans limit fat intake to 30 percent of calories, but a group of nutrition professionals, most of whom helped establish the guidelines, say that the fat in an ”ideal” diet should be much less.
That was one striking result of a survey of 68 scientists, clinicians, registered dietitians and educators conducted by Consumers Union and published in the October issue of Consumer Reports magazine.
Americans are uncertain about how to choose nutritious diets and are confused by the ”crosswinds of scientific debate that blow through the popular news media,” the magazine`s editors write. So they consulted the experts, who have served as members of federal advisory boards relating to nutrition, or on nutrition committees of professional organizations. The survey`s respondents are ”among the most widely respected experts on nutrition in the country,” the article says.
Not surprisingly, the experts agree that a ”reasonable” and healthful diet is one relatively low in fat and high in fruits, vegetables and grains, one that closely matches the government`s latest dietary recommendations and those of many health organizations.
But Consumers Union went one step further and asked the professionals what they would recommend if they could ”magically persuade the American people to adopt the perfect diet.”
In some cases that question elicited much stricter requirements than those set forth by government recommendations.
Fat is the bad guy
Above all, the major bad guy in the ideal diet is fat. Most of the experts call for less than 25 percent of calories to come from total fat, and two-fifths say that total fat should be less than 20 percent. Currently, Americans get 36 to 39 percent of their calories from fat.
Also, the professionals say that saturated fat ideally should be limited to 7 percent-less than the government`s 10 percent limit and almost half the 13 percent consumed by most Americans.
As far as specifying good fats and bad fats, most of the 68 professionals who responded to the poll say that monounsaturated fats tend to lower cholesterol when used in place of saturated fats but that evidence linking polyunsaturated fats to cancer is weak.
About half of the professionals say that the amount of cholesterol eaten should be less than 200 milligrams a day, about two-thirds what the government recommends as a limit. In the United States cholesterol intake averages 287 milligrams a day.
The experts recommend eating fish, which contains Omega 3 fatty acids, twice a week but see no reason for consuming fish-oil supplements.
In regard to carbohydrates, the experts recommend eating seven servings of fruits and vegetables each day, more than the ”5-A-Day” recommended in the National Cancer Society`s campaign and within the 5 to 9 servings specified in the Department of Agriculture`s Food Guide Pyramid.
The experts generally believe the evidence that fiber prevents heart disease is stronger than the evidence that it prevents cancer, but
nevertheless they endorse the National Cancer Institute`s recommendation for 20 to 35 grams of fiber daily.
In the U.S., fiber intake is 12 grams a day, on average.
Most Americans get more protein than they need, so the experts say,
”Don`t worry about it.” Evidence that populations consuming large amounts of animal protein have high incidence of hear disease and colon cancer is inconsistent, they say.
People can get sufficient amounts of key vitamins and minerals from a well-balanced diet, but some may need supplemental iron and calcium, the experst say. Women with excessive menstrual bleeding, pregnant or lactating women and people with certain medical conditions may need more iron.
The experts recommend supplements of calcium for all women at special risk for osteoporosis, whether or not they have gone through menopause. But they do not advise supplements for the public at large who can get adequate amounts of calcium through consuming low-fat dairy products.
Other additives rated
Consumers Union asked the professionals about sugar, salt, coffee and alcohol with these recommendations:
Sugar: Don`t avoid it obsessively, but do go easy on high-sugar foods.
”For most people, the only real problem sugar contributes to is tooth decay,” the magazine states.
Salt: If you are at risk for developing high blood pressure, cut back on salt to minimize the risk. Most nutritionists agree that intake of 2,100 to 2,400 milligrams of sodium a day (1 to 1/2 teaspoons of salt) is plenty. That is about half the national average.
Coffee: If your blood cholesterol level is high, drink only drip-filtered coffee to be on the safe side. There is little evidence, however, that drinking coffee, with caffeine or without, increases the risk of coronary artery disease, the experts agree.
Alcohol: One or two drinks a day is fine, but more is not better-and there`s no reason to start if you`re not a drinker. A limited amount of alcohol appears to raise levels of HDL cholesterol, the protective component of blood cholesterol that is difficult to improve by other dietary means. But ”if we recommend a drink or two a day, people will think four or five are better,” the magazine quotes Peter Kwiterovich, chief of the lipid research and atherosclerosis unit at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Also, the experts addressed the problem of excess weight, which makes people susceptible to hypertension, diabetes and other disorders. Though there was disagreement on what constitutes too much weight and the value of dieting, they agreed that people should consider losing weight if they fall above the ranges recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, if their waistlines are larger than their hip measurement or if they have a medical problem that might be helped.
”We can`t all be skinny, but we can all try to be healthy,” the magazine quotes John Foreyt, director of the nutrition research clinic at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Consumer Reports supplements its survey with charts and graphics and suggested menus for following the experts` recommended diet. The fact that so many professionals agree on dietary ways to prevent disease is in itself a
”nice coincidence,” Dimitrios V. Trichopoulos, chairman of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, is quoted as saying.
”Although there is plenty of disagreement about what causes specific diseases,” he says, ”we all come to the same conclusion with respect to a healthful diet.” –
