Put down that bonbon

I don’t want to be a spoilsport if you’ve just gotten a heart-shaped box of chocolates, but…

Here’s an interesting article by Gina Kolata in today’s NY Times about the long-running debate about diet and health. The low-cab diet goes back at least to the 19th century, and many other approaches have had their day. Making youself healthy or ill by what you eat has its sociological and moral dimensions too.

The article traces the history of the controversy about the relationship between fat and cancer. There’s also the peculiar aftermath of the Women’s Health Initiative study results released a couple of weeks ago. If you’re interested in the diet/nutrition thing, this story provides some interesting context.