Chapter Three CREATION OF CONSENSUS Flashcards
What did Francis Bacon state about sciences based on supposition and opinion?
The object is to command assent, not to master the thing itself.
By what year did the notion that dietary fat causes heart disease begin to transform into nutritional dogma?
1977
What was the primary change that occurred regarding the belief in saturated fat and cholesterol as health risks?
Public attitude shifted, achieving critical mass independent of science.
What movement emerged in the 1960s related to dietary fat and meat consumption?
An anti-fat, anti-meat movement.
Who predicted mass starvation in ‘The Population Bomb’ and when?
Paul Ehrlich in 1968.
What was the fundamental problem identified regarding world hunger?
An ever-increasing world population.
What dietary shift was suggested by Harvard nutritionist Jean Mayer to improve world food availability?
A shift toward a simplified diet with less animal products.
Who wrote ‘Diet for a Small Planet’ and what was its main argument?
Francis Moore Lappé; it argued that meat-eating is a social and moral issue.
What did the American Heart Association recommend regarding dietary fat by 1970?
To cut back on saturated fat and meat.
What did Norman Borlaug achieve that contradicted Paul Ehrlich’s predictions?
Created high-yield varieties of dwarf wheat that ended famines in India and Pakistan.
What was the American Heart Association’s stance on dietary fat revisions?
Revised recommendations every two to three years, increasingly advising less fat.
What was the significant event on January 14, 1977, regarding dietary recommendations?
Senator George McGovern announced the publication of the first Dietary Goals for the United States.
What was the impact of the Dietary Goals document?
It sparked a chain reaction of dietary advice that became widely accepted.
Who was the staff director of McGovern’s committee and what was his perspective on their knowledge of dietary issues?
Marshall Matz; described their knowledge as that of interested laymen.
What was the first goal of the Dietary Goals regarding carbohydrate consumption?
Raise carbohydrates to constitute 55–60 percent of total calorie intake.
Fill in the blank: The Dietary Goals recommended reducing fat consumption from _____ percent to _____ percent.
40 percent to 30 percent.
What did the Dietary Goals acknowledge regarding the evidence for reducing fat content in diets?
No evidence existed to suggest it would lower blood-cholesterol levels.
What was the response from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute regarding lowering cholesterol?
No one knew if it would prevent heart attacks.
What was the American Medical Association’s concern regarding the Dietary Goals?
Potential harmful effects from radical long-term dietary changes.
What change was made in the revised edition of the Dietary Goals regarding meat consumption?
Changed from ‘decrease consumption of meat’ to ‘decrease consumption of animal fat’.
What was the first recommendation in the revised edition of Dietary Goals?
To avoid being overweight
How did the revised Dietary Goals change the recommendation regarding meat consumption?
It changed from ‘decrease consumption of meat’ to ‘decrease consumption of animal fat, and choose meats, poultry, and fish which will reduce saturated fat intake’
What was the committee’s stance on physical harm resulting from dietary modifications?
They found that no physical or mental harm could result from the dietary guidelines recommended for the general public
What was the first important question investigated by the committee?
Does lowering the plasma cholesterol level through dietary modification prevent or delay heart disease in man?
