The Big Fat Lie: New at Reason

In moderation, fat doesn’t harm health or cause weight gain. Who knew?

A. Barton Hinkle writes:

If you have even a passing acquaintance with current events, then you’ve probably seen a host of headlines about the ostensible revolution in dietary thinking. “Eating Fat Is Good for You: Doctors change their minds after 40 years,” blared a London newspaper in 2013. “Why Experts Now Think You Should Eat More Fat,” explained Men’s Journal the next year.

Last month The Economist made “The Case for Eating Steak and Ice Cream.” Last week Time argued that “The Case for Eating Butter Just Got Stronger.” That article cited an earlier Time cover story noting that “fat had become ‘the most vilified nutrient in the American diet’ despite the scientific evidence showing it didn’t harm health or cause weight gain in moderation.”

The new dietary bugbear is sugar, now the target of “Twinkie taxes,” soda taxes, and the opprobrium of public scolds everywhere.

This is pretty big news, given the drumbeat of advice Americans have been receiving for so long. Starting in the 1980s the federal government’s urged people to shun fats and cholesterol and load up on carbs. A 1990s food pyramid from the USDA placed bread, rice, and pasta at the base, suggesting a person eat six to 11 servings a day—but only two or three servings of meat or eggs and even less of fats.

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