Tofu, nuts lower cholesterol

globeandmail.com

May I join doctors Campbell, MacDougall, and others in criticizing the attitude of some health professionals (especially when they're quoted in articles with otherwise positive news for vegetarian diets) who almost seem to be attempting to create a self-fulfilling prophecy:

Dr. Alice H. Lichtenstein, a professor of public health and nutrition at Tufts University in Boston, said the study was scientifically solid, but the diet is so strict she believes most North Americans would find it hard to follow in the real world.

"It's a great diet and they started with a very motivated group of individuals who were used to consuming a low-fat or vegetarian diet," Lichtenstein said in a telephone interview. "But I think that for the general population, we have to be realistic -- and it's unlikely that they're going to be able to adhere to something like this.

I'm just about fed up with remarks like this. Maybe if health professionals actually made an effort at preventive health education, especially nutritionists like Licthenstein. Hey, this is a great diet. But it's a tough sell, so let's talk about some great drug options I just heard about at the latest multi-national pharmaceutical company-sponsored conference...

Damn, already.

Categories: health | nutrition