USDA: Traditional Diets Best

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” When it comes to dieting, forget the fads. <br><br>While requiring more effort, the traditional moderate-fat programs like those advocated by the American Heart Association and Weight

Friday, January 12th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) â€” When it comes to dieting, forget the fads.

While requiring more effort, the traditional moderate-fat programs like those advocated by the American Heart Association and Weight Watchers are the healthiest for dieters and a proven way to keep pounds off, says a government review of diet research.

Some popular diets, such as the high-fat programs that allow people to eat lots of meat but little bread, aren't adequate nutritionally and more research is needed on their long-term effectiveness and impact on health, the report said.

``In sum, all popular diets, as well as diets recommended by governmental and nongovernmental organizations, result in weight loss. However, it is important to note that weight loss is not the same as weight maintenance,'' the report said.

The review is to be released Thursday at a meeting in which the Agriculture Department will consider ideas for a long-term study of diet programs. The study will be conducted by the department's network of human nutrition laboratories.

Such research ``is long overdue, given the problems that the country is facing in terms of obesity,'' said Cutberto Garza, a professor of nutrition at Cornell University. ``Trying to find effective treatment programs is absolutely crucial.''

One in four Americans is obese and more than 60 percent of the population is overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, who organized a debate between the nation's leading diet experts last year, says some programs remain popular in part because there isn't enough known about their effects and that it's time for the government to sort out the conflicting claims.

A spokeswoman for Robert Atkins, a promoter of a popular high-fat, low carbohydrate diet, agreed that more research is needed but said the government is biased against programs like Atkins'.

``The government is going to go out of their way to prove that their recommendations of the last 20 years are correct. It's the same old story. It's the same-old low-fat propaganda,'' said Colette Heimowitz, director of education and research for Atkins Health and Medical Information Services

Any diet that limits food to about 1,500 calories per day produces short-term weight loss. But long-term weight control may have more to do with psychological issues, such as dietary counsel and group support, than nutrient composition, the report said. Factors such as insulin levels and physical activity also need to be studied for their impact, the report said.

Moderate-fat programs that put more demands on dieters, including exercise, have the best scientific evidence to back up their success rates and health claims, the report said.

It recommends consuming no more than 30 percent of calories as fat, limiting protein to about 20 percent of the diet and consuming more complex carbohydrates â€” fruits, vegetables and grains â€” to help satisfy hunger with fewer calories.

They are nutritionally adequate and the best at controlling cholesterol and blood fat, the report found. Low-fat diets also may help with cholesterol levels, but the evidence isn't as solid. There also are questions about the nutritional adequacy of both the low-carbohydrate and low-fat programs.

High-fat, low-carbohydrate diets are low in dietary fiber and a number of nutrients, including folate, calcium and vitamins E, A, and B6, the report said. Diets that are very low in fat don't supply enough vitamin B12, which is contained in meat.

Obesity patients at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York are taken off the low-fat and high-fat diets if they are on them, said dietitian Cathy Nonas. ``We do try to individualize diets so that they are not only healthy but they fit in someone's lifestyle.''

The report is to be published in the March-April issue of the journal Obesity Research.

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On the Net: USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion: http://www.usda.gov/cnpp