In recent decades, dietary guidelines have argued almost universally that reducing the intake of saturated fats (found mainly in animal fats) in favor of unsaturated fats (found mainly in fats of vegetable origin) reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. These recommendations assume that excessive use of saturated fats damages hearts and blood vessels, as these fats are more difficult to metabolize and tend to accumulate in the blood, causing cholesterol levels to rise. Although experts continue to recommend an intake as limited as possible, it seems that in reality the greatest risks are attributable to the so-called trans fats (industrial fats). The link between saturated fat consumption and heart health has been at the center of a heated debate among scientists internationally for 60 years. There are those who continue to support this correlation, there are those, however, who believe that this link has no scientific basis because to date there are still no long-term clinical studies that prove it.
One of the latest research in this field comes from Australia. According to the study, conducted by researchers fromMonash University of Melbourne and published on British Medical Journal, moderate consumption of saturated fats is not harmful to the heart, but even protects against the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack. The study adds to growing evidence that ‘historic’ health advice suggesting avoiding saturated fat is misleading and unfounded. “Maybe – he declared Sarah Zaman of the Australian University Cardiovascular Research Center – we have demonized saturated fat a little too much. We now have scientific evidence that shows there is no detectable link between saturated fat and heart disease ”.
The study and the results
The study involved 10,000 middle-aged Australian women. The women were asked to follow a diet consisting of 41/44% carbohydrates over 15 years. The results showed that those who followed this diet had a 44% reduced chance of suffering from cardiovascular disease compared to those who consumed lower levels of carbohydrates. In addition, the researchers found that just eating a moderate amount of carbohydrates resulted in a 79% reduced risk of getting type 2 diabetes, and a lower risk (between 86 and 99%) of suffering from hypertension and obesity. On the other hand, those who had eaten too much or too little of carbohydrates had less good health. The results also confirm recent meta-analyzes, according to which saturated fats have no significant relationship with total mortality or cardiovascular disease.
The Australian study therefore contradicts what is claimed by a large part of the scientific literature that there is a link between saturated fat and cardiovascular disease. It is hypothesized that this inconsistency in the medical-scientific literature is due to the fact that past studies have overlooked the role of other components of the diet such as fiber that help prevent plaque formation in the arteries.
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The heart-healthy diet
Evidence indicates that the focus should be less on specific nutrients (saturated, unsaturated, trans, etc.) and more on the diet as a whole. A healthy diet should always be well balanced, avoiding calorie excess and varying foods so that you don’t eat the same food more than once every three days. “The best diet – he concludes Time – is the one that includes a variety of foods such as whole grains, vegetables and fruits, healthy proteins such as fish, legumes, nuts and seeds, unflavoured milk and yogurt. Finally, we recommend to always opt for a consumption of healthy fats “.
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