During my seven years of medical school and residency training, which began forty years ago, I learned two—only two—dietary lessons to share with my patients: switch from butter to margarine and reduce salt. Both pearls were supposed to save my patients from heart attacks and strokes, but neither did. The trans fats in margarine actually promote artery disease. Their dangers are so well recognized that the state of California, New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, Brookline, and Montgomery County, MD have banned the use of these synthetic fats in restaurants. Remaining is only one pillar of knowledge from my basic education, "Don't eat salt." |