Low-carb preference on increase, Gallup Poll indicates

Most people in America still believe it's better to reduce fat in your diet than carbs, but according to a Gallup poll, that majority has eroded over the past 10 years.  See:

Americans Still Say Low-Fat Diet Better Than Low-Carb But Slightly More Now Prefer a Low-Carb Diet Than in the Past
by Andrew Dugan and Frank Newport

Note the spin in the headline -- "hardly any more people think low-carb is good."

But look at the actual numbers in the article. It could just as well have been titled, "Americans' Preference for Low-Carb Diet Skyrockets; Low-Fat Falters."

In 2002, 22 percent of Americans were reported as saying a low-carb diet was "more beneficial from a health perspective." In 2012, that jumped to 30 percent. That means the number of people who believe low-carb is better jumped by nearly a third.

Sixty-eight percent said low-fat was best in 2002. That declined to 63% by 2012.

Sugar in the Cross Hairs

How fat became demonized and sugar came to be seen as benign -- and how we started eating so darn much of it. And, significantly, the public health crisis that resulted.

This surprisingly comprehensive article in the Guardian tells the tale. Names of players probably already familiar to those who follow these issues include Dr. Robert Lustig, Earl Butz, John Yudkin and Gary Taubes. Names and episodes less often covered flesh out the story.

Why Our Food Is Making Us Fat, by Jacques Peretti
The Guardian, June 11, 2012

What cholesterol is for: Dr. Robert Rowen interviewed by Dr. Mercola

I came to this article via the newsletter of Dr. Joseph Mercola's this morning. It's perhaps the best single article on cholesterol I've ever read in terms of clarity, simplicity, scope and usefulness.

If you want to read one compact article that explains what cholesterol is for, why it's futile and often tragically damaging to attempt to reduce it -- in your body or your food -- and why statin drugs and common vegetable oil are dangerous to health, read this. If you want to send a friend or loved one to one introductory article on the topic, send them to "Dr. Robert Rowen Talks About Cholesterol and Statins: Even if You Eat Organic Food, This Cooking Mistake Can Ruin Your Health" by Dr. Mercola.

Here are the opening lines by Dr. Mercola:

The idea that high cholesterol causes heart disease is based on the premise that cholesterol is found in the plaque of people with coronary artery disease.

But does that automatically mean that cholesterol itself is the root cause, and must be kept at a minimum to prevent plaque formation?

The answer is “no.”

Missing from this hypothesis is the holistic understanding of how cholesterol operates inside your body, and why arterial plaques form in the first place.

Cholesterol is actually a critical part of your body’s foundational building materials and is absolutely essential for optimal health. 

The article summarizes points made in an accompanying 48-minute video interview with Dr. Robert Rowen, who practices medicine in Santa Rosa, Calif. I haven't watched the video yet, but I am eager to do so.