I don't have McDougall's email address or I might mail him directly.  Then
again I might not; I don't have a lot of time and energy for this stuff
anymore.

It would have been better to share with Dr. McDougall the updated copy of
my article on the danger of the low-fat diet fad; in future I hope everyone
will refer to the article at http://www.syndicomm.com/lowfat.html instead
of the mesage that appears in the mailing list archives.  The article at
this web site incorporates all the same references, plus some other
references, and is generally better written.  Of particular interest to Dr.
McDougall would probably be the piece published just this year in the
European Heart Journal, written by one of Britain's most pre-eminent
cardiologists and by a member of the National Heart and Lung Institute in
London, reviewing ALL studies of low-fat diets done in the last decade or
more and concluding, in their own words:

       "The commonly-held belief that the best diet for prevention of
coronary heart disease is a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet is not
supported by the available evidence from clinical trials. In primary
preventions, such diets do not reduce the risk of myocardial infarction or
coronary or all-cause mortality. Cost-benefit analyses of extensive primary
prevention programmes, which are at present vigorously supported by
governments, health departments, and health educationalists, are urgently
required....Similarly, diets focused exclusively on reduction of saturated
fats and cholesterol are relatively ineffective for secondary prevention
and should be abandoned. There may be other effective diets for secondary
prevention of coronary heart disease but these are not yet sufficiently
well defined or adequately tested." (European Heart Journal, Vol. 18,
January 1997)


The article in question was clearly written just before the publication of
studies released in just the year last showing clearly that low-fat diets
raise the risk of breast cancer, heart disease, and diabetes in women.

Beyond that I can only comment that McDougall failed to address any of the
significant research I referenced except for the minor matter of the Reaven
studies on triglycerides.

He also, while lecturing us about the Japanese, fails to talk about either
the French or the Eskimos.  The Eskimos in particular should be mentioned
because their incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are all
considerably lower than that of the Japanese, and they eat enormous
quantities of fat and protein and almost no carbohydrate.

In general I am weary of talking to any diet guru who wants to tell me what
"a majority" of authorities have to say.  This is a very good way to dodge
having to answer pointed questions, but it doesn't wash with me and
shouldn't wash with any member of the health-conscious public.

But for the record, a low-fat, low-refined sugar diet caused me extremely
low HDL levels, undesirable triglyceride levels, fluctuating energy levels,
and heart palpitations.  If his diet works for him or some of his patients,
bully for them, but a diet very much like it nearly destroyed my health, so
I won't be trying it for myself again.