Update, 7 September 2017: No, carbohydrates are not detrimental. People who eat vegetables, fruit and beans (all high-carb) live longer than people who don’t. That’s what the PURE study found. See my follow-up post: PURE Study Couldn’t Tease Apart Affects Of Poverty And Diet (Dr. Katz: PURE Diet Nonsense).
This is the fat study that everyone is talking about. I’m short on time so I’ll just throw it up here. What do you think?
Associations Of Fats And Carbohydrate Intake With Cardiovascular Disease And Mortality In 18 Countries From Five Continents (PURE): A Prospective Cohort Study, The Lancet, Online 29 August 2017
High carbohydrate intake was associated with higher risk of total mortality, whereas total fat and individual types of fat were related to lower total mortality. Total fat and types of fat were not associated with cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, or cardiovascular disease mortality, whereas saturated fat had an inverse association with stroke. Global dietary guidelines should be reconsidered in light of these findings.
Here’s the full text, pdf, from sci-hub:
Associations Of Fats And Carbohydrate Intake With Cardiovascular Disease And Mortality In 18 Countries From Five Continents (PURE): A Prospective Cohort Study
And here’s an interpretation in the media:
Study Challenges Conventional Wisdom On Fats, Fruits And Vegetables, Reuters, 29 August, 2017
Huge New Study Casts Doubt On Conventional Wisdom About Fat And Carbs, STAT News, 29 August 2017
Fanatic Cook 
By the way, this does not change what I think is a healthful diet. A healthful diet is low in fat, especially saturated fat, and high in carbohydrates such as whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits. I’ll post more later.
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We all face total mortality. I read another article recently that said it’s very difficult to get sufficient amounts of essential fatty acids on a vegan diet, even though you get some. It suggested eating small servings of fatty fish weekly. I meant to email it to you, Bix, because quite honestly I didn’t know what to make of it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/about-those-omega-3s-you-need-them-so-eat-more-fish/2017/08/15/80c14292-7bac-11e7-9d08-b79f191668ed_story.html?utm_term=.e8c486e40272&wpisrc=nl_lean&wpmm=1
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When it comes to health, there are 2 issues, morbidity and mortality. The goal, in public health, is to extend life (reduce early mortality) and maintain quality-of-life (reduce morbidity). Ideally one would live a long, healthful life and die quickly of a brief illness, say flu. I take issue with those who say we’re going to die anyway so what’s the use. Of course we’re going to die; the use is to not have to live a long time with poor quality-of-life, with complications of a stroke, arthritis, cancer, etc. and the costs those entail both to individual and society. I do not believe genes are our fate. We have input.
Regarding this Washington Post article. I see it as an advertisement. It’s promotion for profit without scientific backing. What does this mean: “Most Americans aren’t getting enough EPA and DHA.” So, 50%? 90%? of Americans are deficient in essential fatty acids? (Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid.) That’s her premise and it’s false. She doesn’t even attempt to back it! The NIH says that “essential fatty acid deficiency in healthy individuals in the United States is virtually nonexistent.” The only reason someone says, without backing, that Americans aren’t “getting enough” (which she says 7 times in this article!) is to sell something.
Vegetarians get omega-3 from things like flax seed, chia, and greens like spinach. That gets converted in the body to EPA and DHA. The less omega-6 you eat, the more gets converted … which is one reason we should limit vegetable oils, because they contain lots of omega-6.
Also, there are risks to getting too much omega-3. Omega-3 suppresses the immune system. Our immune system helps us fight cancer. Men who take fish oil pills or who eat a lot of fish have high rates of prostate cancer.
Finally, because of pollution, seafood is some of the dirtiest food you can eat.
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