Principles of a low fat diet.

From personal experience on low fat diets and through experience gained treating patients with low fat diets, the authors suggest that when such a diet is prescribed carefully it may be quite palatable and also reduce serum cholesterol concentration. The principles of a low fat diet and methods for making the diet appetizing are presented. Sample diet instruction sheets which can be individualized for different patients are also illustrated. GROWING body of evidence has sug-A\ gested that a reduction or modification in the form of the serum cholesterol concentration is one practical method of preventing or possibly even treating atherosclero-sis. Since it has been demonstrated that decreasing the amount of fat in the diet is an effective means of lowering the serum cholesterol concentration and certain other lipid components of the blood,'-6 clinicians and investigators have prescribed a variety of low fat diets. It is not the purpose of this paper to discuss the theoretic or experimental ramifications of this subject, but rather to present certain principles in the formulation of a low fat diet found to be helpful in enlisting the cooperation of patients. Conflicting reports in the literature recommend restriction of animal fat or cholesterol7' 8 in order to reduce serum cholesterol concentration , but little attention has been paid to vegetable fat. Animal fats, found largely in meats and dairy products, contain cholesterol as well as fat?. On the other hand, vegetable fats, such as margarines, vegetable cooking oils, and peanut butter, are high in fat content but contain no cholesterol.9 10 There is good evidence that, when attempting to lower serum cholesterol concentration in patients by dietary means, the animal fat content of the diet must be rest ricted." 10, 14 Also, in human subjects, the addition to the diet of vegetable fat, containing no cholesterol, will raise the serum cholesterol concentration.6',1 899 Thus, restriction of both animal and vegetable fat seems indicated if the serum cholesterol concentration is to be reduced. It has been stated in the literature that human serum cholesterol concentration can be reduced by means of very stringent restriction of dietary cholesterol, i.e., diets containing less than 50 to 100 mg. per day." Many of these low cholesterol diets were actually Kempner's rice diet,2' 5 "l which provides less than 5.0 Gm. of fat daily.2 We have found no evidence that human serum cholesterol concentration has ever been lowered by a diet …