I'm sorry to do this in three parts but I needed to do some research.

Dr. McDougall suggested the following:

> When subjects are allowed to eat only
>until they are full (not force-fed) their cholesterol level falls, their
>triglyceride levels don't go up significantly, and they lose weight
>(Ernie Schafer, JAMA 274:1450, 1995).  A study of 1250 of my patients
>shows triglyceride levels decrease an average of 10 mg/dl, and people
>who start with levels over 600 mg/dl have a 311 mg/dl reduction in 11
>days.


First off, I cannot find a reference anywhere in Medline for "Ernie
Schafer, JAMA 274:1450, 1995" -- can we get a specific title and the names
of any co-authors, so I can find and order it through Medline?  (I already
looked and I can't find it, the references are too skimpy.)  Also, can we
get him to say which study of 1250 of his patients showed decreased
triglycerides and total cholesterol, and where it was published (exact
title, date, and author would be preferred so it can also be found in
Medline)?  Assuming this isn't the same study?

To date I have been unable to locate even one clinical study that has shown
decreased mortality from low-fat diets, and some I have found have shown
increased mortality.  I also have not to date been able to any study that
has shown cholesterol reductions on low-fat diets which were not consistent
with -any- diet in which calories are reduced and exercise is increased.
Most also throw in quitting smoking and stress reduction training, further
muddying the waters.  I would be very interested in seeing anything
McDougall has to offer in terms of peer-reviewed references that can easily
be pulled from Medline; if I'm wrong I'd very much like to know it so I can
stop saying foolish things.