Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Observations From the Heart

Saturated fat is not the major issue

BMJ 2013; 347 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.f6340 (Published 22 October 2013) Cite this as: BMJ 2013;347:f6340

Rapid Response:

Re: Saturated fat is not the major issue

I spend a lot of time doing Q Risk 2 calculations with patients when assessing individual CVD risk. Over time, I've gravitated towards less emphasis on total cholesterol....but still rice, pasta, potatoes are in the "good for you" section of my diet sheet. Fatty foods are in my "don't touch with a bargepole" section.

Is it time the mathematicians removed cholesterol from the algorithm?

And, should carbohydrates now swap places with fatty foods on my healthy diet advice sheet?

This week we are told bariatric surgery is more effective than dietary intervention in weight loss. 26yrs ago, I advised people just to be sensible....after years of seduction by Q.risks, statins in primary prevention, QoF targets et al I can see me going back to the same advice: just be sensible, don't smoke, get some exercise, if you're getting cuddly get thinner. I wouldn't suggest going back to Galen's blood-letting for just about any illness, but sometimes maybe a retrograde step isn't such a bad thing?

Competing interests: No competing interests

23 October 2013
David J Lupton
GP
Cambria Surgery
Holyhead