U.S. Dietary Guidelines
Authors: Miguel A. Martinez-Gonzalez, Antonia Trichopoulou
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2016)

Letters18 October 2016U.S. Dietary GuidelinesMiguel A. Martinez-Gonzalez, MD, PhD, MPH and Antonia Trichopoulou, MD, PhDMiguel A. Martinez-Gonzalez, MD, PhD, MPHFrom University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, and Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece.Search for more papers by this author and Antonia Trichopoulou, MD, PhDFrom University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, and Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L16-0171 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Nissen (1) is inaccurate in attributing any state of confusion in nutritional knowledge to Ancel Keys. Keys' famous Seven Countries Study, following an ecological design, found a strong correlation (r = 0.84) between mean intake of saturated lipids (as a percentage of total energy intake) and coronary mortality in 16 regions. These results, with the inherent limitations of an ecological design, agree with subsequent stronger evidence and with the U.S. DGAC in limiting saturated lipids (and their main sources, whole-fat dairy and red and processed meats) but not total lipids.In the Seven Countries Study, the percentage of ...References1. Nissen SE. U.S. dietary guidelines: an evidence-free zone. Ann Intern Med. 2016;164:558-9. [PMID: 26783992]. doi:10.7326/M16-0035 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Keys A. Seven Countries: A Multivariate Analysis of Death and Coronary Heart Disease. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Univ Pr; 1980. Google Scholar3. The diet and all-causes death rate in the Seven Countries Study. Lancet. 1981;2:58-61. [PMID: 6113438] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Keys A, Anderson JT, Grande F. Prediction of serum-cholesterol responses of man to changes in fats in the diet. Lancet. 1957;273:959-66. [PMID: 13482259] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Tracy SW. Something new under the sun? The Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular health. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:1274-6. [PMID: 23550666] doi:10.1056/NEJMp1302616 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain, and Hellenic Health Foundation, Athens, Greece.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L16-0171. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoU.S. Dietary Guidelines: An Evidence-Free Zone Steven E. Nissen U.S. Dietary Guidelines Steven E. Nissen U.S. Dietary Guidelines Frank B. Hu , Marian L. Neuhouser , Rafael Perez-Escamilla , Miguel A. Martinez-Gonzalez , and Walter C. Willett Metrics 18 October 2016Volume 165, Issue 8Page: 605KeywordsCholesterolCohort studiesCoronary heart diseaseDietFatsFatty acidsLipidsLongitudinal studiesOilsRandomized trials ePublished: 18 October 2016 Issue Published: 18 October 2016 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2016 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...