Why West’s low-fat diet advice could be deadly for Asia’s poor, because they’ll likely eat even more carbs
Telling people already on a high-carb, low-fat diet to eat less fat will only get them eating even more carbs – increasing their risk of death – because of the high cost of fruit and vegetables, say researchers
Widely promoted guidelines to reduce fat intake could be unhealthy for people in low- and middle-income countries whose diets are already too starchy, say researchers.
Health authorities in Europe and North America recommend eating more fruit and vegetables while curtailing consumption of fatty foods, advice also adopted by the United Nations and globally.
But people in poor nations cutting back on fat may wind up piling on more carbohydrates – such as potatoes, rice or bread – because fruit and vegetable are more expensive, the authors point out.
Does a low-fat, low-calorie diet help maintain a healthy weight?
“The current focus on promoting low-fat diets ignores the fact that most people’s diets in low- and middle-income countries are very high in carbohydrates, which seem to be linked to worse health outcomes,” says Mahshid Dehghan, a researcher at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and lead author of a study in The Lancet.
Meanwhile, a companion study, also published in The Lancet, concludes that the rich-world guidelines – backed by the World Health Organisation – on fruit and vegetable consumption could be safely cut back from five to a more affordable three portions per day.
People who met three-quarters or more of their daily energy needs with carbs were 28 per cent more likely to die over that period than those whose diet comprised a lower proportion of starchy foods (46 per cent or less of energy needs).