Dismantling a Myth: The Role of Fat and Carbohydrates in Our Diet

The first edition of this book appeared in 1967. It was a courageous feat, at a time when fat was held to be responsible for coronary infarction and many other diseases, to recommend the restriction of nutritional carbohydrate to 60 - 70 grams per day. An organization supported by the German government had even stated, without offering plausible supporting evidence, that an office employee "requires" 350 grams of carbohydrate daily ... Lutz stirred up a hornet's nest! In the ensuing years evidence from other sources and his own extensive experience have confirmed the value of his concept. "Leben ohne Brot" has become almost a slogan and the appearance of this fifth edition is convincing evidence of the impact caused by Lutz's ideas on the medical and lay public.

This book is intended primarily but not exclusively for the medical profession. Observations on his own person combined with clinical experience were the starting point for the "Life without Bread" programme. Even those who can not entirely accept Lutz's concepts and hypotheses regarding pathogenesis cannot afford to ignore this book. Clinical observations cannot be talked out of existence nor should they be dismissed simply because they conflict with one's own theories. The value of a diet can only be judged on the basis of clinical experience and practical success, and does not depend upon biochemical and physiological explanations.

Lutz's book challenges physicians to gather data on a "Life without Bread". It is an appeal to us to document results in the prophylaxis and therapy of adiposity, peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, hepatitis, arteriosclerosis and coronary infarction as well as to record our form of diet on which mankind lived for at least two millions years.

Prof. Hans Glatzel, Gross Groenau, Luebeck
Specialist in Internal Medicine,
Formerly Head of the Department of Clinical Physiology at the Max Planck Institute for Nutritional Physiology, Dortmund, West Germany