Standard approach to lowering weight is to eat a diet comprised of 30% fat of total calories ingested.
A very low fat diet derives about 15% of calories from fat, 15% of calories from protein and about 70% from carbohydrates.
Lifestyle Heart Trial of intense diet counseling, exercise, stress management in patients with coronary artery disease and a 7% fat caloric intake resulted in a weight loss of 24 lb after 1 year, and a 5 year decrease progression rate of coronary heart disease.
Improve glucose tolerance over 5 years in persons with impaired glucose tolerance.
A low-fat diet accounting for 20% of energy intake reduces the risk of colorectal cancer.
The WHI dietary modification trial demonstrated after 19.6 year follow up that a low fat dietary lifestyle with increased vegetables, fruits, and greens reduces breast cancer mortality among post menopausal women.
A low-fat diet does not achieve optimal blood lipid profile, since it does not distinguish between LDL and HDL cholesterol and lowers both.
Lower intake of saturated fat, along with higher intake of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, is related to lower rates of CVD and of other major causes of death.