I’ve been following some of the low-carb diets, and Josh passed along that 20/20 had a segment last night on low-carb diets. He happened to e-mail me as it was airing, so by the time I read the e-mail, I had missed it ;). Luckily, though, there’s a good summary on their website.
“The theory was that a low-fat/high-carb diet would control weight and help prevent killer diseases. But most of the studies that followed actually failed to show a direct link between fat in the diet and heart disease and cancer. But by then it was too late — even science couldn't shake the prevailing wisdom that all fats are bad, and all carbs are good,” explained Johnson.
By investigating the genesis of this theory, Taubes found that the government's initial decision 30 years ago to promote low-fat diets was not based on recommendations from doctors or scientists, but rather from lawyers who worked for Sen. George McGovern in the mid-1970s. […]
I also found the “good fats / bad fats” and “good carbs / bad carbs” charts especially helpful. I was confused for a sec when it appeared that pasta was listed both as a “bad carb” and and as a “good carb” — but, it looks like the distinction is that “wheat or oat … pastas” are ok (at least, according to the chart).