You gotta have fat, on that we all agree. Our bodies need a certain amount of fat in order to function properly. But how much? And what kind? That's where the consensus breaks down.

Studies that focus on the benefits of low fat versus high fat diets are outdated, because we now know that there are good fats and bad. But the perplexed layperson (i.e., me) has a hard time getting a straight answer when it comes to how much fat is really good for us, and which fats are the most beneficial.

Uh-oh. I think I'm having an Emily Litella moment: what's all this fuss I hear about Loaf Hat Diets? Oh, never mind.

I'm referring, of course, to the bombshell published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, which declares, essentially, that a low fat diet provides virtually no discernable advantage when it comes to reducing your risk of heart disease or cancer.