Q: Now I am hearing that saturated fat may not be bad for you after all. What is the real deal?
A. Nutrition experts at the American Heart Association reiterates the answer is the same as it has been for decades – saturated fats can be harmful and should be limited in an overall healthy diet.
“It’s clear without a doubt that saturated fats raise LDL cholesterol, which we know contributes to heart disease. There’s just no doubt about that,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D, R.D., a nutrition professor at Penn State University who serves as a volunteer on the American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee.
The AHA’s science-based position is based on clinical trials, which accurately measures what people were eating. These trials have found an undeniable link between saturated fats and heart disease. Those studies are the gold standard because the data can be independently verified.
“Randomized clinical trials addressing this question are history and demonstrate the benefit of saturated fat restriction,” said Robert Eckel, M.D., a former AHA president and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora.
Eckel was the co-chair of an expert committee that developed the healthy living guidelines released by the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology in November 2013 –that also recommended limiting saturated fats as part of an overall healthy diet to lower blood pressure and “bad” cholesterol (LDL).
Scientists concluded that saturated fat should be no more than 5 percent to 6 percent of daily calories.
The AHA recommends this limited intake as part of a healthy eating plan that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, non-fat dairy products, lean meat and whole grains.
“People should remember to turn to reliable sources that use evidence-based scientific findings for their recommendations,” Eckel said.
The American Heart Association has been issuing dietary recommendations for decades, and in 1961 for the first time recommended vegetable oils in place of saturated fats. The U.S. government issued guidelines discouraging saturated fats in 1980.
Death rates from heart disease and stroke have fallen steadily in the past 10 years, with heart disease dropping 39 percent and stroke dropping 36 percent.