Saturated Fat OK?? New study says "Yes".

It’s the buzz in the nutrition world, and certainly worth talking about. The general consensus on fat in the nutrition and medical world over the past 10+ years, in a nut shell, has been this: unsaturated fats good, saturated fats bad, trans fats REALLY bad.

A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is turning this idea upside down. For people who are already frustrated with nutrition advice changing from day to day, this certainly won’t help.

The paper (a meta-analysis of 21 studies) looked at the association between saturated fat and coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). There conclusions were this:

“A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD.”

Studies have been done for years which have shown a relationship between saturated fat intake and CVD. Particularly, in previous studies, replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fats were found to decrease LDL or "bad" cholesterol, which is a contributor to atherosclerosis and heart disease. So were all those studies before, wrong? This new study leads to the question - is saturated fat really that harmful to health, or is replacing saturated fat with healthier, mono- and polyunsaturated fats just lowering the risk of heart disease in these previous studies? It also raises the question as to how much of a role carbohydrates play in the development of CVD, as benefits of removing saturated fat and replacing them with carbohydrates were not observed.

"Replacement with a higher carbohydrate intake, particularly refined carbohydrate, can exacerbate the atherogenic dyslipidemia associated with insulin resistance and obesity that includes increased triglycerides, small LDL particles, and reduced HDL cholesterol."

Although the study raises an interesting point for discussion, I’m not convinced that we should all be throwing previous recommendations to limit saturated fat out the window, and here’s why: One meta-analysis is not enough for me to discard all other previous evidence that has been found about the negative health impact of saturated fat. I don’t think saturated fat is evil, and I do prefer butter to a industrially-produced margarine, but like everything else, moderation is key. The findings related to carbohydrate are also interesting, and hopefully will soon be investigated further.

There are still plenty of reasons to minimize your intake of saturated fat, unrelated to heart disease. Here are my top 4:

1) Saturated fats come from animals - high intakes of red meat have been linked to an increased risk of cancer . It’s not all just about cardiovascular disease.

2) Reducing your meat intake is good for the environment.

3) Fat is still the most concentrated source of Calories. If you’re trying to maintain or lose weight, your total fat intake still needs to be within moderation.

4) Although it may not do as much damage as originally thought (although, again, I’m not convinced yet), saturated fats still aren’t healthy. Your best choices for fats are still mono- and polyunsaturated fats.

It’s also important to note that one of the funders of the study was the National Dairy Council. Although they may not have any investment into the outcome of the study (the outcome isn’t likely to affect dairy sales, due to availability of low-fat items), I’m always a bit cautious where industry is involved.

So for now, my advice is this - do all you can to eliminate trans fats, enjoy a modest amount of saturated fats from your favourite foods (cheese, meat, cream), but try to get most of your fats from healthy sources like nuts and vegetable oils. A moderate intake of carbohydrates, from whole grain and unrefined sources, is also an important part of a balanced diet.

The study: Siri-Tarino, Patty, et al. Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, January 13, 2010. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.27725

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