ow fat diets have become popular because of the false belief that saturated fat is able to cause detrimental changes to plasma lipoprotein levels. In addition dietary fat is seen by many as the cause of weight gain, and this erroneous fact is propagated vehemently by manufactures of low fat foods. The evidence in the scientific literature shows that typical Western low fat diets are damaging to the health because refined carbohydrates that make up the majority of the energy content of such diets, are implicated in the development of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. In fact recent studies suggest that the low fat diets that have become popular in recent decades have been a disaster for health, and rather than contributing to weight loss, they may be a primary contributory factor in the obesity epidemic of Western nations.
Another problem with low fat diets results from a decrease in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins. Fat soluble vitamins require dietary fat for absorption, and consumption of low fat diets can significantly impair micronutrient bioavailability. For example, in one study1, researchers investigated the effects of a high or low fat diet on the β-carotene bioavailability of a supplement in healthy subjects. Individuals consuming a high fat diet has significantly higher plasma β-carotene concentrations when compared to subjects taking the same supplement but consuming a low fat diet. The high plasma level of β-carotene occurred from day 2 of supplementation to the end of the comparison period. Therefore low fat diets can impair vitamin absorption, a consideration often ignored by proponent of such dietary practices.
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