Hm... people who are being treated with heart medicines don't get any benefit from increasing intake of Omega 3 fats:

Study: More omega-3 fats didn't aid heart patients
By STEPHANIE NANO (AP)

NEW YORK — Eating more heart-healthy omega-3 fats provided no additional benefit in a study of heart attack survivors who were already getting good care, Dutch researchers report.

After nearly 3 1/2 years, there was no difference in deaths, heart attacks and other heart problems between those who ate margarine with added omega-3 fatty acids and those who didn't, the study found.

The results don't mean that getting more of the essential nutrient has no value. Several studies have offered evidence that the fats — mostly from fish oil — reduce heart disease.

The High-Fructose Corn Syrup ("HFCS") debate continues...

The HFCS wars are heating up. Another study shows problems with HFCS consumption:

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) accounts for as much as 40% of caloric sweeteners used in the United States. Some studies have shown that short-term access to HFCS can cause increased body weight, but the findings are mixed. The current study examined both short- and long-term effects of HFCS on body weight, body fat, and circulating triglycerides. In Experiment 1, male Sprague-Dawley rats were maintained for short term (8weeks) on (1) 12h/day of 8% HFCS, (2) 12h/day 10% sucrose, (3) 24h/day HFCS, all with ad libitum rodent chow, or (4) ad libitum chow alone. Rats with 12-h access to HFCS gained significantly more body weight than animals given equal access to 10% sucrose, even though they consumed the same number of total calories, but fewer calories from HFCS than sucrose. In Experiment 2, the long-term effects of HFCS on body weight and obesogenic parameters, as well as gender differences, were explored. Over the course of 6 or 7months, both male and female rats with access to HFCS gained significantly more body weight than control groups. This increase in body weight with HFCS was accompanied by an increase in adipose fat, notably in the abdominal region, and elevated circulating triglyceride levels. Translated to humans, these results suggest that excessive consumption of HFCS may contribute to the incidence of obesity.
Source: High-fructose corn syrup causes characteristics of obesity in rats: Increased body weight, body fat and triglyceride levels. [NIH]

Taken together, it appears that rats (especially males) are able to adjust their caloric intake when given access to small amounts of sucrose, but not so much when given equivalent amounts of HFCS. Earlier work has shown that access to higher levels of sucrose or other sugars, though, will indeed cause rats to gain weight. But not everyone, it seems, even sees these effects. A study from last December looked at a variety of sweetened waters, given to rats 12 hours/day for ten weeks, but only three days out of each week. No differences in weight were seen, although it should be noted that in head-to-head tests, the rats preferred HFCS to agave or Stevia sweeteners. (I wish this group had run sucrose in this experiment, too).
Source: Rats and High-Fructose Corn Syrup

Counterpoints

(CNN) -- Acolytes of "Food Rules" guru Michael Pollan and other well-meaning foodies who've made corn a scapegoat for the nation's health crises have welcomed a new study from Princeton University that suggests high-fructose corn syrup causes more significant weight gain than table sugar.
But the findings have been criticized by food science experts and industry veterans, who say the study unfairly demonizes corn syrup and implicitly absolves cane sugar of responsibility for making Americans fat.
Source: Latest high-fructose corn syrup study generates buzz, debate

Every day, more people are pointing out flaws in last month’s Princeton University study finding that rats fed high fructose corn syrup gained more weight than rats fed sucrose (table sugar). The authors of the research speculated that this could signify that high fructose corn syrup has a unique role in fueling America’s “obesity epidemic.” Earlier in the week, however, nutrition professor Marion Nestle detailed her confusion about how the researchers could have reached that conclusion. Today Washington Post health writer Jennifer LaRue Huget voices her skepticism with the Princeton study, writing that the evidence is “not convincing enough” to support the authors’ speculations.
Source: Skepticism Grows About High Fructose Corn Syrup Hype

This is starting to sound like a broken record, but there are more studies showing potential health benefits of eating chocolate (especially dark chocolate).

From http://www.webmd.com/stroke/news/20100211/chocolate-chips-away-stroke-risk

A new review of recent research on chocolate and stroke risk found at least two large studies are suggestive of the health benefits of chocolate in lowering the risk of stroke. The results will be presented in April at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Toronto.

The first study found 44,489 people who ate one serving of chocolate per week were 22% less likely to have a stroke than people who didn’t eat chocolate.

Low carbers will not be surprised to see that The American Heart Association says that added dietary sugar poses a significant health risk, especially in soft drinks.

The American Heart Association is taking aim at the nation's sweet tooth, urging consumers to significantly cut back on the amount of sugar they get from such foods as soft drinks, cookies and ice cream.

In a scientific statement issued Monday, the organization says most women should limit their sugar intake to 100 calories, or about six teaspoons, a day; for men, the recommendation is 150 calories, or nine teaspoons.

The recommendations are likely to prove challenging for many consumers to meet. Just one 12-ounce can of cola has about 130 calories, or eight teaspoons of sugar.

Data gathered during a national nutrition survey between 2001 and 2004 suggest that Americans consume on average 355 calories, or more than 22 teaspoons, of sugar a day.

[snip]
Added sugars "offer no nutritional value other than calories to the diet," Dr. Johnson said. "The majority of Americans could reduce their risk of heart disease by achieving healthy weight and the evidence is fairly clear that reducing the amount of sugars can help with that."

While many studies associate increased consumption of soft drinks with higher calorie intake, weight gain and obesity, others have failed to support the connection. Similarly, research investigating added sugar's impact on blood pressure, heightened inflammation and on changes in blood fats called triglycerides is inconclusive. And there are no studies linking the recommended limits to preventing weight gain or promoting weight loss.

Link - WSJ

I find it fascinating that although the scientific evidence is unclear, the AHA has no problem issuing the recommendations. Lowcarbcompatible.com readers may be aware of claims of similar lack of hard evidence linking fat intake to heart disease.