Editor’s Note: Are Cheeseburgers Back In?

Remember the movie Sleeper? Woody Allen was frozen in time, and when he was revived after 200 years, everything that was once forbidden, including smoking, drinking, casual sex, and eating junk food, was back in vogue.

It’s not quite that drastic, but a new study came out earlier this year that basically challenges the current dogma about the relationship between fatty food intake and cardiovascular disease. We have relied on many previous studies showing the relationship of abnormal lipid levels (high total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and triglycerides) to an increased risk of heart disease. These studies have shown that, in many people, eating a diet high in saturated fat has a negative influence on lipid levels. The recent study, which is a retrospective analysis of many studies on the effects of diet on heart disease, points us away from this conclusion and says that saturated fat intake does not seem to influence heart disease risk.

How should that influence our eating behavior? And, what does one make of constantly changing information in the diet arena?

My answer to my patients is: EVERYTHING IN MODERATION. Yes, it’s fine to slightly liberalize fat intake, but the fats you eat should still be mostly healthy fats from foods such as nuts, avocados, cold-water fatty fish, and olive oil. Unhealthy foods that are high in saturated fats, such as processed foods, should still be avoided. Healthy saturated fats, found in foods such as lean meat and cheese, can be included in your diet, but they should be limited because these foods also contain a lot of calories.

Also, the recent study has certain flaws in its design, so it is possible that future research will nullify the conclusions. How do you determine whether findings from research studies should alter your dietary choices? Ask your doctor; he or she should be able to discern if and how it applies to you, and explain how valid and reliable the results are.

—Editor-in-Chief Orli R. Etigin

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