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NationalNAS Panel ChallengesDietary-Disease LinkThe Food and Nutrition Board ofthe National Academy of Sciences(NAS) issued a report May 27 debunkingwarnings from food faddists andmedical professionals alike thatAmericans must eat less meat andfewer dairy products or risk coronaryand other disease.The report stated that in light of theavailable evidence, such concern withfat and cholesterol intake is unjustified:"The board considers it scientificallyunsound to make single, all-inclusiverecommendations to thepublic regarding intakes of energy,protein, fat, cholesterol, carbohydrate,fiber, and sodium. . . . Theboard makes no specific recommendationsabout dietary cholesterol forthe healthy person."A 15-member panel including nutritional,biochemical, and medicalscientists, chaired by University ofWisconsin biochemist Dr. Alfred Harper,submitted the report. Harper hasindicated a concern that the broadbaseduse of restrictive low-fat/lowcholesteroldiets could lead to borderlinenutritional deficiencies in individuals.In an interview with Fusion, Harpersaid he has little doubt as to the nutritionalsuperiority of meat and dairyproducts over grains as sources ofproteins, partly because of the inabilityof grains to be an adequate sourceof trace elements necessary to goodhealth.A Question of CausalityA dissatisfaction with the scientificmethodology used to infer the harmfulnessof fats and cholesterol wasapparent in the report. One argumentfor reducing American meat and dairyintake has been that Americans havea greater incidence of heart diseasecompared to populations with a lessrich diet. However, several considerationsdemonstrate the causal inadequacyof conclusions based on suchcorrelations.Although serum (blood) cholesterollevels in fact seem to be good predictorsof heart disease, the board stated,"no significant correlation betweencholesterol intake and serum cholesterolconcentration has been shownin free-living [nonhospitalized] personsin this country."As the Food and Nutrition Boardpointed out, citing seven large-scalestudies of the effects of modified diet,dietary restrictions have at best marginaleffects on heart attacks and "noeffects on overall mortality."Although beef and total fat consumptionhas been rising steadily inthe United States since World War II,the rate of cardiovascular deaths hasactually fallen by 20 percent since theearly 1960s, and is currently falling atthe rate of 2 percent per year. Thedecrease can be partially attributed tofactors such as improved disease detectionand treatment. But the overallbasis of the decline remains a mystery.In fact, one might argue that the decreasereflects the increased healthenjoyed by a population consumingmore beef.NAS Under FireThe NAS report has drawn heavycriticism, none of which attacks thedata or the arguments directly. Onecomplaint is that no epidemiologistswere on the Food and NutritionBoard. It should be noted, however,that the board members were mainlyresearch scientists of proven merit inthe physiologically based disciplineswho were careful to note and utilizeepidemiological data as well as biochemicalfindings.Carlos de HoyosThe American diet, especially the consumption of meat, has been under attackfor more than a decade. Yet, between 1968 and 1976, the death rate forcoronary heart disease fell by 21 percent, while beef consumption rose byover 10 percent per person in that period.September 1980 FUSION 57