Fat is good; Carbs are bad ... Could it be?

Despite what we've been told for years, this hypothesis is getting strange new respect from growing numbers of scientists.

Fat is not the problem," says Dr. Walter Willett, chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. "If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice and sugary snacks, we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases."

It's a confusing message. For years we've been fed the line that eating fat would make us fat and lead to chronic illnesses. "Dietary fat used to be public enemy No. 1," says Dr. Edward Saltzman, associate professor of nutrition and medicine at Tufts University. "Now a growing and convincing body of science is pointing the finger at carbs, especially those containing refined flour and sugar."

And if you're ready for a few statistics, here's a great look at the correlation between wheat flour and heart disease.

If you're new to these ideas, Gary Taubes, who wrote the masterful synthesis Good Calories, Bad Calories, has a new book coming out that simplifies and focuses on the question of Why We Get Fat.