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Effect Of Saturated Fats On Heart Disease Saturated fats can be found in many foods like butter, cheese, red meat and other animal-based foods. Studies had shown that saturated fats could increase the bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein or LDL) that will eventually lead to high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. As recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA), saturated fats should not comprise more than 6 percent of a person’s daily diet. The 2010 American Dietary Guidelines also suggest that no more than 10 percent of daily calories should come from saturated fats. However, a recent study that was published online September 28, 2015 in the ‘Journal of the American College of Cardiology’ has found no link between saturated fats and heart disease: its link to heart disease depends on a person’s overall diet. Other studies conducted in the past could not find any differences in heart disease risk when saturated fats were replaced by carbohydrates. Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts and other institutes believe this is because the studies did not distinguish between types of carbohydrates. Hence, they sought to investigate the associations of saturated fats compared with unsaturated fats and different sources of carbohydrates in relation to coronary heart disease risk. Data used in the study was taken from 84,628 women (Nurses’ Health Study, 1980 to 2010), and 42,908 men (Health Professionals Follow-up Study, 1986 to 2010) who were free of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at baseline. These participants were asked about their diets every 4 years. Over 24 to 30 years of follow-up, 7,667 cases of heart disease were found. High intake of polyunsaturated fats and carbohydrates from whole grains were significantly associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease.
People who replaced 5 percent of saturated fat calories in their diet with an equivalent amount of polyunsaturated fats, such as those in fatty fish and flax seeds, had a 25 percent lower risk of coronary heart disease compared to those who did not. For those who replaced 5 percent of saturated fat with monounsaturated fats such as olive or peanut oil, or whole nuts, the risk of coronary heart disease was reduced by 15 percent. The risk of coronary heart disease was decreased by merely 9 percent for people who substituted 5 percent of saturated fat calories with an equivalent amount of whole grains. There are, nevertheless, no difference in coronary heart disease risk when people replaced refined carbohydrates from refined starches and/or added sugars for saturated fats. But the researchers acknowledged that their study could have possible errors when people are asked to estimate what foods they ate. Began in 2003, the Prevention with Mediterranean Diet (PREDIMED) trial that followed people who were randomly assigned to a Mediterranean diet with added olive oil or nuts, or a low-fat diet. Those on the Mediterranean diet had about a 30 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease over the next 5 years. Earlier, a team of researchers from Canada found that eating higher amounts of saturated fat was not associated with an increased risk of death, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, stroke and Type-2 diabetes in comparison to lower amounts. But, the consumption of higher amounts of trans fat was associated with an increased risk. Total trans fat intake was linked to a higher risk of death (34 percent), death from coronary heart disease (28 percent), and development of coronary heart disease (21 percent). There was no relationship with increased risk of stroke or Type-2 diabetes, though. Their paper was published August 12, 2015 in the journal ‘BMJ’. The researchers, however, warned that one must carefully consider the effects of alternative foods before amending dietary guidelines for saturated and trans fatty acids. It seems that the controversy over saturated fat will continue until scientists are able to carry out an actual and effective randomized trial, which will certainly require hundreds of millions of dollars and decades to do. Until then, doctors will still advise their patients to limit intake of saturated fats.
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