Saturated Fat (Friend or Foe)

Saturated fat – Friend or Foe?

Saturated fat, the stufffound in delicious foods like coconut, dark chocolate, high fat dairy productsand fatty cuts of meat, has long been demonized in public health given itsassociation with increased cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. However, arecent editorial on the topic claiming that reducing saturated fat in the diethas no effect on heart disease has caught the attention of the media and thepublic and has got people wondering whether they can consume all of the butterand bacon they want without worrying about the health of their hearts.

To understand thiscomplex relationship between dietary fat and health, it’s important to know thedifference between the two primary types of fat. Unsaturated fats are found inplant-based oils (like olive, canola, avocado, etc) and fatty fish, and aretouted as heart healthy as they raise our “good” cholesterol (HDL) and lowerour “bad” cholesterol (LDL). Saturated fats, on the other hand, have long beenassociated with heart disease because they increase total cholesterol (both thegood and bad kind).

So, what does theresearch say? It turns out the scientific community is just as confused as weare! Some large studies have found no relationship between saturated fat andheart disease. Similarly, the Women’s Health Initiative (a large-scale studywith over 45,000 women) found no difference in heart disease and totalmortality between women eating a diet low in saturated fat versus those eatinga more traditional, high fat diet. Why might this be? One reason may be due tothe different types of LDL cholesterol – saturated fat has been shown to changethe composition of LDL particles so that they are larger and can’t penetratethe walls of our arteries, meaning the heart is not affected.

However, bacon loversshould not rejoice just yet! Following the “pro-saturated fat” editorial that Imentioned above, many public health and nutrition experts spoke out against thepaper and its findings due to its somewhat biased assessment and lack ofscientific validity. For example, some high-quality research showing thebenefit of a diet low in saturated fat for heart health was not included in thepaper’s findings. Furthermore, the editorial did not take into account what wasreplacing the saturated fat in diets low in saturated fat. Studies show thatwhen saturated fat is replaced with refined carbohydrates and sugars, the rateof heart disease and related mortality remains unchanged (which is theconclusion found in this editorial). However, when saturated fat is replacedwith unsaturated fat, rates of heart disease decrease, leading experts tobelieve that increasing unsaturated fat in the diet is more likely to improveheart health than reducing saturated fat intake.

All clear? No, meeither! So, what DO I recommend to my clients who are confused about how muchfat and what type of fat they should eat? The research on this topic is clearlyvery conflicting – what we do know, however, is that all of the dietarypatterns with strongly established positive health outcomes (like theMediterranean diet) are low in saturated fat. Although, this doesn’tnecessarily mean that foods high in saturated fat causeheart disease. The Mediterranean diet, for example, is also low inrefined sugars and carbohydrates and high in fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils,and fish. This points to the notion that perhaps we should be moving away fromvilifying some macronutrients and putting others on pedestals, and instead,focusing on overall dietary patterns and lifestyle habits that are provencontributors to health and wellness.