Research shows reducing saturated fat to be pointless

Saturated fats have always been seen as one of those evils of dieting.

Said to be the bringer of heart attacks, clogged arteries and death, health nuts do whatever they can to avoid even looking at it. However, a systematic review of the subject was recently released by one of the prevailing and most revered scientific body of this era, Cochrane.

As far as scientific “proof” goes, Cochrane is as close as anyone will get. In their collaboration, data from 15 randomized trials that used well over 59,000 individuals came to show that, in reality, saturated fats are neutral.

The study looked for data regarding other studies that tested for a direct link between saturated fats and cardiovascular issues. Apart from a negligible reduction of fatal heart attacks by 0.5% by limiting saturated fat intake, there were absolutely no changes in individuals.

While this doesn’t mean you should go out and eat more saturated fat, it does mean you don’t have to continue treating it like a poison.

All the same, there was a data point that adds a bit more light on the subject. As it turns out, if you replace your saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats, you can expect to see a reduction of 27% in your risk of heart disease.

In other words, the so-called bad fats do nothing, but the good fats are still good for the body. If you want to up your intake of these healthy fats, add nuts, seeds, olive oil and fish to your diet.

Source:

AJCN.Nutrition.org