"Jennifer" wrote in message
ink.net...
The trouble with the study is... they don't say if people who follow the
Mediterranean diet but do not calorie restrict, also have the heart
protection.

They see one result, and they make an assumption, based on a group of 25
people.

That's a good point, Jennifer. These kinds of observations are good starting
points for more definitive research, but that's all they are - starting
points - because there are simply too many variables. Where they go wrong is
applying findings inappropriately.

And I guess we all know by now not to take too seriously a single study, nor
ones as small as this. I tend to think that the group of people who are able
to maintain such a low caloric intake is probably not representative of the
general population in the first place. But... to be fair, the only way you'd
get most of the general population to follow that kind of diet would be to
put them in a prison camp and restrict their food.

JoAnn, I can't figure out why the medical profession is so loathe to make
the more stringent recommendations re diet that could actually do some good.
I don't think they *really* want to keep people from getting well. It's
something else and I'm not sure what.

HG