Facts on Saturated Fats. What Modern Science is Saying
The original commentary was published by CSPO Watch in 2022 and has since been updated as new medical studies on saturated fats are published.
Update January 29, 2026
The BBC's Science Focus took a dive recently into the arguments surrounding seed oils vs butter.
This is a good read as it came after updated U.S. dietary guidelines encouraged Americans to eat more protein and full-fat dairy while cutting back on ultra-processed foods and added sugars.
Dr. Marty Makary, United States Commissioner of Food and Drugs disagreed with the cap on saturated fats and expressed his opinion on X. Reactions to his post gives good insight into the uncertain medical science on saturated fats as comments ranged from support for higher intakes of saturated fats to ridicule of his position.
Dr. Nina Teicholz who gained notoriety with her book, Big Fat Surprise, continues to challenge the idea that saturated fats are bad for health through the Nutrition Coalition and social media.
Her latest post on X expressed disappointment with the opinion of David Cox who wrote "Saturated fat is back on the menu for Americans, but what does the science say" for The TelegraphUK
According to Dr. Teicholz, David Cox wrote a one-sided article which ignored medical science.
"So disappointing--another one-sided article on saturated fat. Reporter quotes only experts who defend the idea that saturated fats cause heart disease. No voice on the other side. "
When it comes to saturated fats in your food, it may not be as simple as butter good or butter bad. According to a report by Hatty Willmoth for the BBC, Professor Sarah Berry from King's College London was quoted as saying:
However, that’s not to say that all saturated fat is equal.
“The dairy fat in milk and cheese and yoghurt seems to be slightly different to butter,” explains Sanders. “It doesn’t have as big a cholesterol-raising effect as butter does. Milk and cheese seem to be quite neutral, and it’s thought other nutrients in cheese and milk mitigate the effect of saturated fat.
So, even if you have slabs of cheese and butter that contain similar amounts of saturated fat, the butter – not the cheese – is likely to affect your cholesterol levels."
The highlighted study was written by Dr. Emma Davies in her report for BBC Science Focus on how the matrix effect enables cheese, a food high in saturated fats, to actually lower cholesterol levels;
In 2018, a separate study run by a team at University College Dublin found that consuming cheese gave rise to significantly lower cholesterol levels than when its components were eaten separately as butter, protein and calcium. So let the matrix effect be your excuse to indulge.
If the matrix effect is reason enough to indulge in cheese to satiation point, where does that put palm oil which is at once a plant based source of balanced fatty acids composed of a rich number of phytonutrient in carotenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, sterols, squalene, coenzyme Q10, phospholipids, and polyphenols?
Could the complex make up of palm oil create the same matrix effect for palm oil in your daily diet?
As a plant based oil, palm oil is cholesterol free according to the findings of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council.
Yet its saturated fat content has been linked to heart disease according to academicians like Harvard University which said:
Palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil — the so-called tropical oils — got a bad reputation because they're high in saturated fat, which has long been linked to heart disease.
Considering what we know now, questions like "is palm oil good for you" or is "butter better for you" have become irrelevant as modern medical science proves that its not one particular food that affects a person's risk of heart disease.
But if the debates on heart health have to focus on edible oils, we would have to take a deep dive into the chemical compositions of cooking oils and how they could affect human health.
Is olive oil the best for heart health?
Olive oil comes to mind immediately as it is promoted widely by health "experts" like Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
"Olive oil is the hallmark of the Mediterranean diet, and its link to lower mortality is well established in southern European countries. But this is the first long-term study to show such a health benefit here in the U.S.
Among all edible plant oils, olive oil has the highest percentage of monounsaturated fat, which lowers "bad" LDL cholesterol and increases "good" HDL. It's been shown to lower blood pressure and contains plant-based compounds that offer anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties known to reduce the disease process, including heart disease."
Dr. Frank Hu's assessment of olive oil as heart healthy is questionable as modern science shows otherwise.
While olive oil maybe a hallmark of the Mediterranean diet as Dr. Hu said, its "health halo" has been debated due to its properties a 100% fat, calorie-dense food that may impair artery function after consumption.
The main problems with attributing healthy hearts to olive oil in the Mediterranean diet have been said to be:
The last point is worth noting based on what the World Heart Federation says about causes of CVD.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels (veins and arteries). It can be caused by a combination of socio-economic, behavioural, and environmental risk factors, including high blood pressure, unhealthy diet, high cholesterol, diabetes, air pollution, obesity, tobacco use, kidney disease, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and stress. Family history, ethnic background, sex, and age can also affect a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease.
A simple summation of the World Heart Federation's findings is that you could have avoided consuming saturated fats from butter, bacon and palm oil to keep your heart healthy but a sedentary lifestyle coupled with a low fiber diet could still lead to a heart problems.
But if you have enjoyed butter and bacon despite what has been said about saturated fats leading to higher levels of cholesterol and therefore cardiovascular diseases, the findings of Uffe Ravnskov et al should be of interest.
"The idea that high cholesterol levels in the blood are the main cause of CVD is impossible because people with low levels become just as atherosclerotic as people with high levels and their risk of suffering from CVD is the same or higher. The cholesterol hypothesis has been kept alive for decades by reviewers who have used misleading statistics, excluded the results from unsuccessful trials and ignored numerous contradictory observations."
There are so many different ways to a heart healthy lifestyle and diet that it is impossible to credit one particular factor with heart health.
As palm oil gains favor in global kitchens we reached out to the research and development team at the Malaysia Palm Oil Board for their opinion on the issues.
Dr. Kanga Rani Selvaduray, Head of the Nutrition Unit responded with:
"Let me highlight some of the facts from our studies and systematic reviews of various studies on the effects of palm oil on blood cholesterol levels. We have repeatedly observed from numerous human clinical trials spanning from the early 90's to the present time, that palm oil has a neutral effect on blood cholesterol and does not significantly differ when compared to other oils including olive oil, despite its saturated fat content. In actual fact palm oil has a unique and balanced composition of fatty acids that allows it to be versatile and applicable for various food applications.
These fatty acids also are arranged in the fat molecules in positions similar to monounsaturated oils rather than animal fats. The positional distribution of the fatty acids we believe play a role in the type of fatty acids that are absorbed into and excreted from our system.
As you have correctly mentioned, palm oil is rich in healthful phytonutrients such as carotenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, sterols, squalene, coenzyme Q10, phospholipids and polyphenols which play a role in enhancing the quality and oxidative stability of the oil. While all these phytonutrients have antioxidant properties, some of them impart nutritional and health benefits beyond their antioxidant function."
Dr. Kanga attached several scientific reports published in Nature and the American Society for Nutrition to support the findings of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board.
Olive Oil vs Palm Oil and the SN-2 Model
Ir. Qua Kiat Seng, an adjunct senior lecturer at Monash University Malaysia took a deeper dive into how the human body reacts when we eat foods containing edible oils. Quoting the findings of medical studies conducted by Tan Sri Augustine Ong et al, Paolo Lucci et al and Welma Stonehouse et al, highighted that:
"Every cooking oil is made up of triglycerides — three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. Imagine a three-pronged fork, with each prong holding a fatty acid. Scientists call these prongs SN-1, SN-2, and SN-3.
When we digest fat, enzymes snip off the fatty acids at SN-1 and SN-3. The one at SN-2 stays intact and is absorbed directly. That means the fatty acid sitting in the SN-2 position has a special influence on our blood cholesterol and overall metabolism.
In palm olein, its tryglicerides like those in olive oil, the SN-2 position is predominantly occupied by oleic acid even though palm olein is considered a saturated fat."
These studies show that palm olein affects cholesterol levels much the same way that olive oil does through the SN-2 model.
It is important to bear in mind at this point, what the World Heart Federation says about causes of cardiovascular disease. Palm olein may have the same beneficial impacts on heart health as olive oil but edible oils play a secondary role in the overall risks for heart disease.
Update January 29, 2026
The BBC's Science Focus took a dive recently into the arguments surrounding seed oils vs butter.
This is a good read as it came after updated U.S. dietary guidelines encouraged Americans to eat more protein and full-fat dairy while cutting back on ultra-processed foods and added sugars.
Dr. Marty Makary, United States Commissioner of Food and Drugs disagreed with the cap on saturated fats and expressed his opinion on X. Reactions to his post gives good insight into the uncertain medical science on saturated fats as comments ranged from support for higher intakes of saturated fats to ridicule of his position.
Dr. Nina Teicholz who gained notoriety with her book, Big Fat Surprise, continues to challenge the idea that saturated fats are bad for health through the Nutrition Coalition and social media.
Her latest post on X expressed disappointment with the opinion of David Cox who wrote "Saturated fat is back on the menu for Americans, but what does the science say" for The TelegraphUK
According to Dr. Teicholz, David Cox wrote a one-sided article which ignored medical science.
"So disappointing--another one-sided article on saturated fat. Reporter quotes only experts who defend the idea that saturated fats cause heart disease. No voice on the other side. "
When it comes to saturated fats in your food, it may not be as simple as butter good or butter bad. According to a report by Hatty Willmoth for the BBC, Professor Sarah Berry from King's College London was quoted as saying:
However, that’s not to say that all saturated fat is equal.
“The dairy fat in milk and cheese and yoghurt seems to be slightly different to butter,” explains Sanders. “It doesn’t have as big a cholesterol-raising effect as butter does. Milk and cheese seem to be quite neutral, and it’s thought other nutrients in cheese and milk mitigate the effect of saturated fat.
So, even if you have slabs of cheese and butter that contain similar amounts of saturated fat, the butter – not the cheese – is likely to affect your cholesterol levels."
The highlighted study was written by Dr. Emma Davies in her report for BBC Science Focus on how the matrix effect enables cheese, a food high in saturated fats, to actually lower cholesterol levels;
In 2018, a separate study run by a team at University College Dublin found that consuming cheese gave rise to significantly lower cholesterol levels than when its components were eaten separately as butter, protein and calcium. So let the matrix effect be your excuse to indulge.
If the matrix effect is reason enough to indulge in cheese to satiation point, where does that put palm oil which is at once a plant based source of balanced fatty acids composed of a rich number of phytonutrient in carotenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, sterols, squalene, coenzyme Q10, phospholipids, and polyphenols?
Could the complex make up of palm oil create the same matrix effect for palm oil in your daily diet?
As a plant based oil, palm oil is cholesterol free according to the findings of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council.
Yet its saturated fat content has been linked to heart disease according to academicians like Harvard University which said:
Palm oil, palm kernel oil, and coconut oil — the so-called tropical oils — got a bad reputation because they're high in saturated fat, which has long been linked to heart disease.
Considering what we know now, questions like "is palm oil good for you" or is "butter better for you" have become irrelevant as modern medical science proves that its not one particular food that affects a person's risk of heart disease.
But if the debates on heart health have to focus on edible oils, we would have to take a deep dive into the chemical compositions of cooking oils and how they could affect human health.
Is olive oil the best for heart health?
Olive oil comes to mind immediately as it is promoted widely by health "experts" like Dr. Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
"Olive oil is the hallmark of the Mediterranean diet, and its link to lower mortality is well established in southern European countries. But this is the first long-term study to show such a health benefit here in the U.S.
Among all edible plant oils, olive oil has the highest percentage of monounsaturated fat, which lowers "bad" LDL cholesterol and increases "good" HDL. It's been shown to lower blood pressure and contains plant-based compounds that offer anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties known to reduce the disease process, including heart disease."
Dr. Frank Hu's assessment of olive oil as heart healthy is questionable as modern science shows otherwise.
While olive oil maybe a hallmark of the Mediterranean diet as Dr. Hu said, its "health halo" has been debated due to its properties a 100% fat, calorie-dense food that may impair artery function after consumption.
The main problems with attributing healthy hearts to olive oil in the Mediterranean diet have been said to be:
- Calorie Density and Weight Gain: As a pure fat, it is easy to consume excess calories, potentially leading to weight gain.
- Cardiovascular Debate: While often considered healthy, some research, such as studies cited by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, suggests that added oils (including olive oil) can impair endothelial function—the ability of arteries to relax and dilate—immediately after a meal.
- Oxidation and Quality: Olive oil contains polyunsaturated fats that can oxidize, and the quality can be inconsistent, with potential for adulteration. It is sensitive to light, heat, and air, which can cause it to turn rancid.
- Cholesterol Remnants: Some research indicates that high-fat meals rich in oleic acid, the main fat in olive oil, can increase the amount of cholesterol-filled remnants (chylomicrons) in the blood.
- Comparison to Whole Foods: The health benefits attributed to the Mediterranean diet may stem more from the high intake of fruits, vegetables, and fiber rather than the oil itself.
The last point is worth noting based on what the World Heart Federation says about causes of CVD.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels (veins and arteries). It can be caused by a combination of socio-economic, behavioural, and environmental risk factors, including high blood pressure, unhealthy diet, high cholesterol, diabetes, air pollution, obesity, tobacco use, kidney disease, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and stress. Family history, ethnic background, sex, and age can also affect a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease.
A simple summation of the World Heart Federation's findings is that you could have avoided consuming saturated fats from butter, bacon and palm oil to keep your heart healthy but a sedentary lifestyle coupled with a low fiber diet could still lead to a heart problems.
But if you have enjoyed butter and bacon despite what has been said about saturated fats leading to higher levels of cholesterol and therefore cardiovascular diseases, the findings of Uffe Ravnskov et al should be of interest.
"The idea that high cholesterol levels in the blood are the main cause of CVD is impossible because people with low levels become just as atherosclerotic as people with high levels and their risk of suffering from CVD is the same or higher. The cholesterol hypothesis has been kept alive for decades by reviewers who have used misleading statistics, excluded the results from unsuccessful trials and ignored numerous contradictory observations."
There are so many different ways to a heart healthy lifestyle and diet that it is impossible to credit one particular factor with heart health.
As palm oil gains favor in global kitchens we reached out to the research and development team at the Malaysia Palm Oil Board for their opinion on the issues.
Dr. Kanga Rani Selvaduray, Head of the Nutrition Unit responded with:
"Let me highlight some of the facts from our studies and systematic reviews of various studies on the effects of palm oil on blood cholesterol levels. We have repeatedly observed from numerous human clinical trials spanning from the early 90's to the present time, that palm oil has a neutral effect on blood cholesterol and does not significantly differ when compared to other oils including olive oil, despite its saturated fat content. In actual fact palm oil has a unique and balanced composition of fatty acids that allows it to be versatile and applicable for various food applications.
These fatty acids also are arranged in the fat molecules in positions similar to monounsaturated oils rather than animal fats. The positional distribution of the fatty acids we believe play a role in the type of fatty acids that are absorbed into and excreted from our system.
As you have correctly mentioned, palm oil is rich in healthful phytonutrients such as carotenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, sterols, squalene, coenzyme Q10, phospholipids and polyphenols which play a role in enhancing the quality and oxidative stability of the oil. While all these phytonutrients have antioxidant properties, some of them impart nutritional and health benefits beyond their antioxidant function."
Dr. Kanga attached several scientific reports published in Nature and the American Society for Nutrition to support the findings of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board.
Olive Oil vs Palm Oil and the SN-2 Model
Ir. Qua Kiat Seng, an adjunct senior lecturer at Monash University Malaysia took a deeper dive into how the human body reacts when we eat foods containing edible oils. Quoting the findings of medical studies conducted by Tan Sri Augustine Ong et al, Paolo Lucci et al and Welma Stonehouse et al, highighted that:
"Every cooking oil is made up of triglycerides — three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. Imagine a three-pronged fork, with each prong holding a fatty acid. Scientists call these prongs SN-1, SN-2, and SN-3.
When we digest fat, enzymes snip off the fatty acids at SN-1 and SN-3. The one at SN-2 stays intact and is absorbed directly. That means the fatty acid sitting in the SN-2 position has a special influence on our blood cholesterol and overall metabolism.
In palm olein, its tryglicerides like those in olive oil, the SN-2 position is predominantly occupied by oleic acid even though palm olein is considered a saturated fat."
These studies show that palm olein affects cholesterol levels much the same way that olive oil does through the SN-2 model.
It is important to bear in mind at this point, what the World Heart Federation says about causes of cardiovascular disease. Palm olein may have the same beneficial impacts on heart health as olive oil but edible oils play a secondary role in the overall risks for heart disease.
Update December 17, 2025
Expert reviews on studies of the impacts of saturated fats on human health continue to challenge what was said about saturated fats and cardiovascular health.
Consumers were told by "experts" who trotted out study after medical study that eating too much saturated fats led to heart attacks, strokes and other morbid diseases.
There is a problem with these studies that linked the consumption of saturated fats to health problems.
Quoting Dr. Nita Forouhi, Professor of Population Health and Nutrition, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge
"For these methodological reasons it is premature to consider any change to the existing dietary guidelines that recommend saturated fat reduction to under 10% of energy intake in the UK. Importantly, there is increasing knowledge from our own research and that of others that saturated fat is a complex entity, and it is not all the same – its health effects vary by saturated fat sub-types and its food sources."
Quoting Drs. Ramon Estruch, MD, PhD, and Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós
"The perception of the health effects of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) has shifted from strictly detrimental to “in-between” effects to more recently possibly even protective effects on cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases for some subtypes of SFAs. For decades, dietary intake of SFAs has been regarded as harmful to cardiometabolic health. Almost simultaneous with Dylan’s song, the “diet-heart hypothesis” emerged with force and spread the concept that SFAs cause heart disease by increasing serum cholesterol level. This hypothesis, despite being based on weak evidence of association and not causation, remains today."
Expert reviews on studies of the impacts of saturated fats on human health continue to challenge what was said about saturated fats and cardiovascular health.
Consumers were told by "experts" who trotted out study after medical study that eating too much saturated fats led to heart attacks, strokes and other morbid diseases.
There is a problem with these studies that linked the consumption of saturated fats to health problems.
Quoting Dr. Nita Forouhi, Professor of Population Health and Nutrition, MRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge
"For these methodological reasons it is premature to consider any change to the existing dietary guidelines that recommend saturated fat reduction to under 10% of energy intake in the UK. Importantly, there is increasing knowledge from our own research and that of others that saturated fat is a complex entity, and it is not all the same – its health effects vary by saturated fat sub-types and its food sources."
Quoting Drs. Ramon Estruch, MD, PhD, and Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventós
"The perception of the health effects of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) has shifted from strictly detrimental to “in-between” effects to more recently possibly even protective effects on cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases for some subtypes of SFAs. For decades, dietary intake of SFAs has been regarded as harmful to cardiometabolic health. Almost simultaneous with Dylan’s song, the “diet-heart hypothesis” emerged with force and spread the concept that SFAs cause heart disease by increasing serum cholesterol level. This hypothesis, despite being based on weak evidence of association and not causation, remains today."
Commentary updated May 2024 as the World Health Organization (WHO) convenes its First meeting of the WHO Expert Group to develop a guideline on consumption of tropical oils. WHO
WHO guidelines are developed in ways consistent with internationally recognized best practices, emphasizing the appropriate use of systematically reviewed available evidence.
The WHO urgently needs to update its position on saturated fats. We called out their inconsistency as the WHO blundered through the COVID19 crisis.
Palm oil, coconut oil and ghee are some of the most popular cooking oils in the tropics. All three tropical oils have been said to contain "unhealthy" levels of saturated fats.
Will the Expert Group consider the findings of David Ian Givens in his report on Saturated Fats and Cardiovascular health?
WHO guidelines are developed in ways consistent with internationally recognized best practices, emphasizing the appropriate use of systematically reviewed available evidence.
The WHO urgently needs to update its position on saturated fats. We called out their inconsistency as the WHO blundered through the COVID19 crisis.
Palm oil, coconut oil and ghee are some of the most popular cooking oils in the tropics. All three tropical oils have been said to contain "unhealthy" levels of saturated fats.
Will the Expert Group consider the findings of David Ian Givens in his report on Saturated Fats and Cardiovascular health?
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Commentary updated February 2023 as the WHO calls for total elimination of trans fats
- Are saturated fats bad for me?
- Is it OK to eat saturated fats?
- Are saturated fats high in cholesterol?
- Does saturated fats cause Chronic Heart Disease and Vascular Disease?
Saturated fats. Love it. Limit it. Lose it.
Consumers looking for answers to these questions on the internet will end up becoming more confused than educated.
The American Heart Association on saturated fats lists some common popular foods including beef, pork and chicken that are bad for health due to saturated fat. MyFooddata has more information on what foods contain the highest levels of saturated fats. Whipped cream followed by dried coconut tops the list for foods with high saturated fats but no one eats those on a daily basis. What we do eat on a daily basis, in considerable amounts, are dairy products in milk, cheese and processed foods which would make a slice of pizza really bad for health.
According to this 2014 report from BBC, its not how much pizza you eat but how the pizza is made. A CNN report on pizza goes into greater details on when pizza is healthy and when it is not. What is consistent between the two reports is that cheese with all its saturated fats, is an essential food for healthy diets. Pepperoni on the other hand, was reported to be bad for human health due to its high processing.
Based on these reports, a freshly made pizza that uses whole wheat instead of refined flour, which skips the pepperoni and double cheese would be healthy.
Experts from different backgrounds in Europe disagree. There is a huge food fight going on in Europe, involving Front of Pack labels between the French-backed Nutriscore vs the Italian backed Nutrinform. Spanish experts have also weighed into the arguments to defend food items in their traditional diet, notably olive oil, cheese and cured meats. Even French cheese producers have condemned Nutri-Score for what they see as an attack on a traditional food.
Nutrinform appears to have made its point as The Italian Competition Authority, AGCM, announced on Thursday 4 August that Nutri-Score can not be used in Italy without some warnings for consumers, and obliged Carrefour and other distributors using the French nutrition label to withdraw Nutri-Score labelling on its products sold in Italy.
The Italian government further plans to launch an app to support its use as an emphatic opposition to Nutriscore.
While the Front of Pack nutritional information arguments look towards the Mediterranean diet as proof of or proof against, this report by the National Library of Medicine suggests that overall lifestyle is more important to human health than singular foods.
But what about oils and fats that not part of the traditional Mediterranean diet?
Tropical vegetable oils like coconut and palm oil are not prevalent in European diets. The uproar over Front of Pack labels does raise the question of how saturated fats like those found in coconut and palm oil affects human health.
The contradictions between reports on health benefits of coconut oil with its high saturated fat content against the negative rap of its saturated fats is certainly confusing to the average consumer. How many of us can grasp the difference between long chain fatty acids and medium chain fatty acids? Are saturated fats with medium chain fatty acids like coconut oil better for health than saturated fats from dairy?
What does modern science say?
Science today says that saturated fats are an essential part of a healthy diet. Adding saturated fats like cheese, to your meal will satisfy hunger with smaller portions compared to meals that include large amounts of carbohydrates and limited saturated fats.
There is no question that obesity leads to all the health problems that is being blamed on dietary fat intakes. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association for example, recommends a low fat diet in saying:
Obesity also leads to the development of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular disease mortality independently of other cardiovascular risk factors.
This led to the popularity of the keto diet where eating fats in every meal became popular with popular looking to lose weight fast. “Experts” weighed in.
The University of Chicago Medicine called it a quick way to lose weight which could cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies and an increased risk of heart disease. Strict diets like keto could also cause social isolation or disordered eating. Keto is not safe for those with any conditions involving their pancreas, liver, thyroid or gallbladder.
Harvard Medical School warned against the weight-loss wonder, but this eating plan is actually a medical diet that comes with serious risks.
These arguments against fat consumption maybe questioned against the 2021 report from the American Heart Association Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update Fact Sheet where the mean healthy diet score for adults.
“were largely attributable to increased consumption of whole grains and nuts, seeds, and legumes and decreased consumption of SSBs. No significant changes were observed for consumption of total fruits and vegetables, fish and shellfish, sodium, processed meat, and saturated fat.”
The statistics support the findings of the PURE study Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study which stated that:
"High carbohydrate intake was associated with higher risk of total mortality, whereas total fat and individual types of fat were related to lower total mortality"
The arguments were best summed up by researcher Zoe Harcombe who asked in TheBMJ, Could we agree to demonize processed food, not saturated fat?
Yet another report has called for a reassessment and proposal for food-based recommendations on Saturated Fats and Health:
Also, systematic studies find no significant association between saturated fat intake and coronary artery disease or mortality, and some even suggested a lower risk of stroke with higher consumption of saturated fat (14).
In the context of contemporary diets, therefore, these observations would suggest there is little need to further limit the intakes of total or saturated fat for most populations (14).
Unfortunately, the recommendations from the USDA to limit intake of saturated fats and increase carbohydrate intakes has led to an obesity epidemic in the US according to Professor Dr. David Diamond from the University of South Florida.
Dr. Diamond is a renowned expert on nutrition and how it relates to human health. He traced the source of obesity in the US to the USDA’s dietary recommendations that carbohydrates should form the bulk of daily food intake. He has challenged the old science with new science like “A Rigorous Assessment of the Myth That Consumption of Saturated Fat Increases Risk of Coronary Heart Disease” which can be downloaded here.
For more information on his work, watch Dr. David Diamond - 'Should You Be Concerned About High LDL-Cholesterol on a Low Carb Diet?'
These new scientific findings will hopefully be reflected in dietary guidelines and Front of Pack labels. The decisions behind Canada’s Front of Package labels, where cheese and meat (in single ingredient form) are exempted from FOP labeling requirements, seem to be better informed after industries argued successfully against bad science.
The Dairy Processors Association of Canada presented on saturated fats, that several meta-analyses commissioned by organizations like the World Health Organization suggests that the consumption of saturated fat does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, or type 2 diabetes.
The Canadian Cattle Association also successfully argued that ground beef and pork, are highly nutritious sources of protein and nutrients even if ground meats contain saturated fat.
The American Heart Association on saturated fats lists some common popular foods including beef, pork and chicken that are bad for health due to saturated fat. MyFooddata has more information on what foods contain the highest levels of saturated fats. Whipped cream followed by dried coconut tops the list for foods with high saturated fats but no one eats those on a daily basis. What we do eat on a daily basis, in considerable amounts, are dairy products in milk, cheese and processed foods which would make a slice of pizza really bad for health.
According to this 2014 report from BBC, its not how much pizza you eat but how the pizza is made. A CNN report on pizza goes into greater details on when pizza is healthy and when it is not. What is consistent between the two reports is that cheese with all its saturated fats, is an essential food for healthy diets. Pepperoni on the other hand, was reported to be bad for human health due to its high processing.
Based on these reports, a freshly made pizza that uses whole wheat instead of refined flour, which skips the pepperoni and double cheese would be healthy.
Experts from different backgrounds in Europe disagree. There is a huge food fight going on in Europe, involving Front of Pack labels between the French-backed Nutriscore vs the Italian backed Nutrinform. Spanish experts have also weighed into the arguments to defend food items in their traditional diet, notably olive oil, cheese and cured meats. Even French cheese producers have condemned Nutri-Score for what they see as an attack on a traditional food.
Nutrinform appears to have made its point as The Italian Competition Authority, AGCM, announced on Thursday 4 August that Nutri-Score can not be used in Italy without some warnings for consumers, and obliged Carrefour and other distributors using the French nutrition label to withdraw Nutri-Score labelling on its products sold in Italy.
The Italian government further plans to launch an app to support its use as an emphatic opposition to Nutriscore.
While the Front of Pack nutritional information arguments look towards the Mediterranean diet as proof of or proof against, this report by the National Library of Medicine suggests that overall lifestyle is more important to human health than singular foods.
But what about oils and fats that not part of the traditional Mediterranean diet?
Tropical vegetable oils like coconut and palm oil are not prevalent in European diets. The uproar over Front of Pack labels does raise the question of how saturated fats like those found in coconut and palm oil affects human health.
The contradictions between reports on health benefits of coconut oil with its high saturated fat content against the negative rap of its saturated fats is certainly confusing to the average consumer. How many of us can grasp the difference between long chain fatty acids and medium chain fatty acids? Are saturated fats with medium chain fatty acids like coconut oil better for health than saturated fats from dairy?
What does modern science say?
Science today says that saturated fats are an essential part of a healthy diet. Adding saturated fats like cheese, to your meal will satisfy hunger with smaller portions compared to meals that include large amounts of carbohydrates and limited saturated fats.
There is no question that obesity leads to all the health problems that is being blamed on dietary fat intakes. A scientific statement from the American Heart Association for example, recommends a low fat diet in saying:
Obesity also leads to the development of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular disease mortality independently of other cardiovascular risk factors.
This led to the popularity of the keto diet where eating fats in every meal became popular with popular looking to lose weight fast. “Experts” weighed in.
The University of Chicago Medicine called it a quick way to lose weight which could cause low blood pressure, kidney stones, constipation, nutrient deficiencies and an increased risk of heart disease. Strict diets like keto could also cause social isolation or disordered eating. Keto is not safe for those with any conditions involving their pancreas, liver, thyroid or gallbladder.
Harvard Medical School warned against the weight-loss wonder, but this eating plan is actually a medical diet that comes with serious risks.
These arguments against fat consumption maybe questioned against the 2021 report from the American Heart Association Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update Fact Sheet where the mean healthy diet score for adults.
“were largely attributable to increased consumption of whole grains and nuts, seeds, and legumes and decreased consumption of SSBs. No significant changes were observed for consumption of total fruits and vegetables, fish and shellfish, sodium, processed meat, and saturated fat.”
The statistics support the findings of the PURE study Associations of fats and carbohydrate intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 18 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study which stated that:
"High carbohydrate intake was associated with higher risk of total mortality, whereas total fat and individual types of fat were related to lower total mortality"
The arguments were best summed up by researcher Zoe Harcombe who asked in TheBMJ, Could we agree to demonize processed food, not saturated fat?
Yet another report has called for a reassessment and proposal for food-based recommendations on Saturated Fats and Health:
Also, systematic studies find no significant association between saturated fat intake and coronary artery disease or mortality, and some even suggested a lower risk of stroke with higher consumption of saturated fat (14).
In the context of contemporary diets, therefore, these observations would suggest there is little need to further limit the intakes of total or saturated fat for most populations (14).
Unfortunately, the recommendations from the USDA to limit intake of saturated fats and increase carbohydrate intakes has led to an obesity epidemic in the US according to Professor Dr. David Diamond from the University of South Florida.
Dr. Diamond is a renowned expert on nutrition and how it relates to human health. He traced the source of obesity in the US to the USDA’s dietary recommendations that carbohydrates should form the bulk of daily food intake. He has challenged the old science with new science like “A Rigorous Assessment of the Myth That Consumption of Saturated Fat Increases Risk of Coronary Heart Disease” which can be downloaded here.
For more information on his work, watch Dr. David Diamond - 'Should You Be Concerned About High LDL-Cholesterol on a Low Carb Diet?'
These new scientific findings will hopefully be reflected in dietary guidelines and Front of Pack labels. The decisions behind Canada’s Front of Package labels, where cheese and meat (in single ingredient form) are exempted from FOP labeling requirements, seem to be better informed after industries argued successfully against bad science.
The Dairy Processors Association of Canada presented on saturated fats, that several meta-analyses commissioned by organizations like the World Health Organization suggests that the consumption of saturated fat does not increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, or type 2 diabetes.
The Canadian Cattle Association also successfully argued that ground beef and pork, are highly nutritious sources of protein and nutrients even if ground meats contain saturated fat.
UPDATE: February 09, 2023. "The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for the total elimination of industrial trans fatty acids (TFAs), saying it is responsible for half a million premature deaths each year, VOA News reports.
According to WHO data, 5bn people were being exposed to industrial TFAs, which are commonly found in packaged foods, baked goods, cooking oils and spreads, increasing their risk of heart disease and death, the 23 January report said.
TFAs occur naturally in animal fats but the health concerns relate to industrial trans fats formed by the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils to increase their stability and shelf life."
Avoiding trans fats in our modern diets will be difficult for most consumers as this report from EWG shows.
But avoiding unhealthy vegetable oils maybe more difficult for the average consumer where popular oils like corn, canola and soy are found in many foods. According to Dr. Eric Berg, a well known expert on health issues, seed oils like these, represent a food that is more deadly than sugar. Watch his report on seed oils.
Dr Berg's warning against consuming seed oils is supported by a report from Dr. Pradip Jamnadas, the founder and medical director of Cardiovascular Interventions who has practiced in Central Florida for over 31 years. Widely recognized for his skill in interventional cardiology Dr. Jamnadas has been awarded Orlando Top Doctor by Orlando Magazine consecutively for over a decade. This is what Dr Jamnadas has to say about seed oils and the move from saturated fats by Indian consumers, to seed oils.
According to WHO data, 5bn people were being exposed to industrial TFAs, which are commonly found in packaged foods, baked goods, cooking oils and spreads, increasing their risk of heart disease and death, the 23 January report said.
TFAs occur naturally in animal fats but the health concerns relate to industrial trans fats formed by the partial hydrogenation of vegetable oils to increase their stability and shelf life."
Avoiding trans fats in our modern diets will be difficult for most consumers as this report from EWG shows.
But avoiding unhealthy vegetable oils maybe more difficult for the average consumer where popular oils like corn, canola and soy are found in many foods. According to Dr. Eric Berg, a well known expert on health issues, seed oils like these, represent a food that is more deadly than sugar. Watch his report on seed oils.
Dr Berg's warning against consuming seed oils is supported by a report from Dr. Pradip Jamnadas, the founder and medical director of Cardiovascular Interventions who has practiced in Central Florida for over 31 years. Widely recognized for his skill in interventional cardiology Dr. Jamnadas has been awarded Orlando Top Doctor by Orlando Magazine consecutively for over a decade. This is what Dr Jamnadas has to say about seed oils and the move from saturated fats by Indian consumers, to seed oils.
September 05, 2022. New study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology- Saturated fat: villain and bogeyman in the development of cardiovascular disease?
Collectively, neither observational studies, prospective epidemiologic cohort studies, RCTs, systematic reviews and meta analyses have conclusively established a significant association between SFA in the diet and subsequent cardiovascular risk and CAD, MI or mortality nor a benefit of reducing dietary SFAs on CVD rick, events and mortality. Beneficial effects of replacement of SFA by polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat or carbohydrates remain elusive. AcademicOUP
What are your thoughts on saturated fats in the groceries you buy? Leave a comment below and let us know where you’re writing from.
Collectively, neither observational studies, prospective epidemiologic cohort studies, RCTs, systematic reviews and meta analyses have conclusively established a significant association between SFA in the diet and subsequent cardiovascular risk and CAD, MI or mortality nor a benefit of reducing dietary SFAs on CVD rick, events and mortality. Beneficial effects of replacement of SFA by polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat or carbohydrates remain elusive. AcademicOUP
What are your thoughts on saturated fats in the groceries you buy? Leave a comment below and let us know where you’re writing from.
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Published August 2022. CSPO Watch