Extremely low-fat diets restrict the intake of fat to a small percentage, usually 15 percent or fewer, of daily calories. For a 2,000-calorie diet, this means consuming no more than 33 g of fat per day. While reducing fat intake can lead to lower overall calorie consumption and weight loss, there are also risks associated with consuming too little fat. Consult your physician before starting any new diet plan.
History
Extremely low-fat diets have been used in intervention studies to gauge the effect on cardiovascular disease. In a 1997 study by RJ Barnard and colleagues in the "American Journal of Cardiology," people on extremely low-fat diets, along with exercise and drug therapy, saw significant reductions in LDL-cholesterol, the component that leads to plaque build-up and increases risks for heart attacks. A 1998 study by Alice H. Lichtenstein and colleagues in "Circulation," found that people who chose unsaturated sources of essential fats, such as vegetable oils, as part of very low-fat diets could obtain adequate nutrition while also lowering cholesterol.
Approach
Track your fat intake using food labels, which provide the number of fat grams per serving for packaged foods as well as the percentage of daily value, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. For foods that are not labeled, use the USDA's database of nutrients to find the fat content of all foods. Simple ways to reduce fat intake include broiling and baking instead of frying foods, avoiding whole-fat dairy, consuming ample fruits and vegetables and minimizing added fats such as butter and oil.
Warning
Cutting fat to levels too low for one's daily needs can result in nutrient deficiencies. Fat is essential to the diet because it provides and stores energy, absorbs and transports certain vitamins, insulates vital organs and acts as a precursor to steroid hormones. Inadequate intake of fat can interfere with these functions.
Considerations
Health experts recommend balanced diets over those that restrict any one group of macronutrients. A balanced calories-restricted diet, combined with exercise and other lifestyle modifications can be equally beneficial to heart health and would not pose some of the same risks for nutrient deficiencies that an extremely low-fat diet does.
Special Populations
Infants, growing children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and the elderly are not good candidates for extremely low-fat diets. Pregnant and breastfeeding women need more of most nutrients to ensure the healthy growth of their babies. According to the USDA's dietary guidelines on fat, children ages 2 to 3 years old should consume no less than 30 percent of calories from fat, and adolescents aged 4 to 18 years should consume between 25 to 35 percent of calories from fat.
References
- PubMed.gov: Effects of Intensive Diet and Exercise Intervention in Patients Taking Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs
- "Low-Fat Diet." Tish Davidson, A.M. The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets. Ed. Jacqueline L. Longe. Detroit: Gale; 2008
- USDA: Dietary Guidelines on Fat
- "Nutrition: Real People, Real Choices"; Susan Hewlings and Denis Medeiros; 2008
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