A study suggested that a high amount of fat in the diet might be beneficial to a person with healthy cholesterol levels, however extreme restriction of fat might produce the opposite effect. The study found that after 11 healthy, but not physically active adults maintained a very low-fat diet for three weeks, their HDL cholesterol--the "good" cholesterol that is thought to be a preventative against heart disease dropped. These findings suggested that HDL levels might be raised by adequate fat intake and moderate restriction would be the best way to ward off heart disease. Conclusions from the study revealed that both healthy sedentary people and active healthy people would NOT benefit from following a highly restricted low-fat diet plan.
Once again, as I have written about the dangers of low-fat diets in a past article, research has revealed further negative consequences of following a low-fat diet. Now, studies are suggesting that a high amount of fat in the diet may raise your HDL levels, which are considered the "good" cholesterol. Lower fat diets may be beneficial and may work for some, especially those with carbohydrate nutritional types, but all of us need some beneficial fats in our diet in order to stay healthy.
Fat phobia and exclusion of all fats from the diet is a prescription for disaster. If you're following a low-fat diet in the hopes of losing weight, a much healthier option is to follow a healthy nutrition plan which includes eliminating sugars and grains from your diet.
Yahoo News May 4, 2004