The Hidden Drawbacks of Low-Fat Diets: Are They Really Healthy?

A person on a low-fat diet limits his intake of fats and oils. He uses only lean meats and avoids fried foods. In the past, people theorized that a low-fat diet can reduce the risks of certain health conditions such as breast cancer, heart disease and colorectal cancer. However, the University of Maryland Medical Center finds that a low-fat diet has no beneficial effect on those conditions. The diet also has other weaknesses.

Hunger

• A person on a low-fat diet usually does not feel full after a meal. She then makes up for it by eating junk food, thinking that it's fine as long as the food contains little or no fat. Because of this, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs believes a low-carbohydrate diet is more effective because of higher protein and fat intake that makes people feel fuller and less likely to eat more.

Focus on Amount of Fat

• The low-fat diet limits the amount of fat that a person consumes to promote health and reduce weight. However, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, the percentage of calories a person derives from fat does not affect long-term health. The focus should in fact be on the type of fat the person consumes. Trans fat damages the heart and the brain. Replacing saturated and trans fat with natural vegetable oils reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Health Risk

• An extreme low-fat diet could cause short-term health conditions. When fat supplies less than 15 percent of the body's calorie intake, the amount of HDL cholesterol drops. HDL cholesterol is not harmful and reduces the risk of heart disease. Young children, pregnant women, the elderly and diabetics are especially susceptible to the health risks of an extreme low-fat diet. Fats should ideally provide approximately 30 percent of total calories.