Take nutrition studies with a grain of salt, advises Susan Jung

Last month, the United States' Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee announced that fat and cholesterol, in moderate amounts, aren't nearly as bad for us as it had previously stated. Once again, I could say, "I told you so" to well-meaning loved ones who have badgered me about my "unhealthy" diet. Every time I hoard all the prawn heads (for their delicious, gooey liquid) or scrape out the rich "miso" from the back of a crab shell, they tut and tell me these things are high in cholesterol.

Well, I've been choosing to ignore all such dietary warnings for as long as I've been choosing what I eat.

Nutrition experts used to say that margarine was healthier for us than butter … then they changed their minds. Coconut fat was once upon a time awful for our health … then they changed their minds. Chocolate, coffee, carbohydrates, salt and fat, to name just a few, have all received the same treatment. And don't even get me started on fad diets that encourage followers to subsist solely on cabbage soup or baby food.

While most nutritionists do not deliberately manipulate data to fit their theories, they do frequently release the results of a study without thoroughly evaluating the findings. Just because 150 out of 200 subjects have high cholesterol after eating a high-fat diet doesn't necessarily mean that high fat is the cause of high cholesterol - there could be other factors at play.

Right now, the nutritionists' big no-no seems to be sugar, which, if overconsumed, they claim, will lead to obesity (er, yes?) and chronic health problems.

I'll continue to consume sugar in moderate amounts, as I have always done. After all, in a few years' time, they're bound to have changed their minds.