Opting for the Omega Diet
Dietitian Says Traditional Low-Fat Diets Fail to Reduce Heart Disease

It all started with Ann-Marie Hedberg’s statement at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital’s dietitians’ staff meeting.

Hedberg, Ph.D., assistant director of nutrition services, said, “There is more to being a dietitian than giving a can of supplement.”

She challenged all of us to act like the nutrition experts we were trained to be. I knew she was right. I thought about low-fat diets. There must be more to good nutrition than low-fat diets.

Then, three years ago, Dr. Hedberg asked me to step in her place and make a presentation at a national nutrition meeting where I would lead a roundtable discussion on nutrition interventions in cardiovascular disease. I went to work at the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library and pulled scientific articles, many of which were meta-analyses of the numerous studies of nutrition interventions in certain populations. I was dumbfounded. After 23 years of working in various jobs related to cardiovascular disease, I realized that what we had been doing was 80 percent wrong! The outcomes of these studies showed that not only did low-fat diets fail to reduce the incidence of heart disease, but some of the other dietary interventions we were promoting may be harmful.

I presented this information to Dr. Hedberg and the other dietitians. Again, Dr. Hedberg challenged us: should we stick with the status quo because the major health organizations have not suggested the changes yet or should we move on? Everyone agreed to completely revamp our educational materials – not a small project, but it had to be done. We all jumped in and shared the workload. Out went the low-fat diets as well as heart-healthy educational materials that promoted the use of high omega-6 oils that can promote chronic illnesses like cancer and immune disorders. Our goal was to develop one diet to prevent all chronic illnesses, not just to lower cholesterol.

Then, one evening, I took my daughter, Jodi, to Half-Price Books for a homework assignment. As Jodi searched for her information, I browsed the health section. A stack of books on the floor quickly caught my eye; one was “The Omega Plan,” the first printing of “The Omega Diet.” As I scanned the contents again and again, I knew in my heart that this person, whomever the author was, had already put the scientific data together into one diet. So I bought the book and read it several times. I was impressed, to say the least. She was in tune with the literature, ahead of our time and ahead of major health organizations.

I then purchased “The Omega Diet” and brought it to Dr. Hedberg and the dietitians. We were all impressed so we decided to feature her book in our educational program and have it available for purchase in the St. Luke’s gift shop.

Then, on a whim, I decided to call the author, Dr. Artemis Simopoulos at The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health in Washington, D.C. I asked if she would consider coming to Houston and speaking to the St. Luke’s and Texas Heart Institute doctors and staff. To my surprise, she agreed.

On Oct. 30, 2000, Dr. Simopoulos spoke to physicians at a joint internal medicine and cardiology grand rounds, and to area allied health professionals at another meeting. She also met with Dr. Denton Cooley privately. She presented evidence to support the need for a balanced intake of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in our diet to a tune of 35 percent of total calories. We heard that nuts and avocados were good for us, chocolate was not harmful and butter was actually better than margarine. However, elimination of hydrogenated fatty acids from our diets was necessary. She also promoted the importance of consuming at least seven servings of fruits and vegetables daily – the “Strive for Five” campaign was simply not good enough.

More than 200 people heard her speak that day and their comments reflected a renewed interest in dietary interventions. Her visit was like a fresh breeze after a muggy summer. Doctors stopped me in the hall and asked more questions about the Omega Diet. They began ordering Omega Diet education for their patients. Then they ordered the Omega Diet as their patient’s diet order.

“Diet” can be a bad word. It often elicits groans from people, but the Omega Diet has brought renewed interest in dietary interventions. Patients and staff wanted more information about this diet, so St. Luke’s is developing classes for patients, visitors and staff to meet the demand.

I have since met with Irene Helsinger, senior vice president and chief human resources officer, who not only supports our efforts but insists we expand our program into St. Luke’s Bertner Avenue Café – to highlight healthy foods promoted on the Omega Diet. That project is now in the works, thanks to a great team effort by the hospital’s food & nutrition services department. Recently, we have been asked to participate in a Public Broadcasting Service documentary on the Omega Diet, which has been filmed already.

Sometimes I am asked by suspicious people, “Why are you promoting just one book? What do you get from this?” My response is very simple – why reinvent the wheel? When you find a good thing, stick with it. And Dr. Hedberg was right – we are the nutrition professionals, and we should be the ones to get the right information out there. This is not about what we are getting out of the program but about providing legitimate, sound nutrition information to our patients and staff.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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